An Ancient heritage
by Solar2912
Summary: People have never liked what they don't understand, and even then what they can't control. Set on a path out, Naruto carves his own life; To either defy the laws of nature itself to have fire and ice together, or to fall prey to his old unwanted ties.
1. Meaningless Meaning

A/N) Okay, I decided to start a separate story for the remade version. Reasons being that this should satisfy both groups.

If you want to be updated to the remade version follow this story.

For those of you who want to wait until this story reaches the same point in the story as the old version, or at least a similar of development as I can't guarantee all will be same, I'll send out a story notice through the old story when this remade version gets there.

I also changed the title and summary to fit my actual storyline better. It's actually more than just skin and bones this time around so hopefully plot holes are mitigated. :D

Now then, I changed this chapter again… I know, I know…but this chapter just didn't click with me before. For those of you who have read the older version of this chapter, not everything is the same. You don't need to know this if you're a new reader, I'm just trying to prevent confusion for those who have read the older versions. Most of what was rambled to you in this chapter will be dissected and put into later chapters as part of the story.

In this chapter, Sarutobi has been portrayed differently, the Naruto bit isn't in first person(but some of the phrasing might feel personal) and there is an extra part in between. However as the story develops, I ask that you do not cling too tightly to the old historical ramble I had wrote here in the old story.

Disclaimer: I hereby claim that I the author of the fanfic below do not in any shape or form own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Rosario + Vampire and Rosario + Vampire capu2. However the ideas and storyline are mine.

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**Chapter 1: Meaningless Meaning**

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."  
― Albert Einstein

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The village was brighter than usual. Flames were raging in cordoned areas and smoke columns were rising high into the sky. Two separate and distinct paths of destruction scarred the village, one pressed with flattened buildings, the other marked by smouldering wood.

Still, it was a good day, as far as the Third Hokage of the Leaf village was concerned. Everything had gone in accordance with his plan.

Even now though, he still questioned the intelligence of the villagers who made up the leaf, just like the many other times he had done so. However he had never once hated the fact. For to him it made his work easier – show them want to want see, let them hear what they want to hear. The same reason why he had half of the civilian council wrapped around his pinkie. Even the shinobi council could be easily manipulated with the correct means and motives. Narrowing his eyes slightly as he notice the subtle presence of his _advisors_, he was reminded of the irritating fact that they were his greatest pain in the neck when it came to politics within the leaf. Most of the time it was merely a political war between him and them, his half of the council against the half they influenced. His only advantage being that most of the shinobi council usually supported him instead of them, for he himself was a shinobi.

At the moment he had to suppress a smile - Their reaction had been easily predicted, unfortunately for the child in his hands. Reinserting his presence into the village and its political field had been harder compared to this. Heck, he'd probably say the kyubi and the phoenix demon were easier to deal with.

"Konoha, we have faced a deadly foe, a foe that had threatened to destroy us. But we have prevailed, we have won!" His voice reverberated throughout the village as he channelled chakra to his vocal chords and lungs to amplify his voice.

Loud shouts of resonating joy ensued after his exclamation. The people below him cheering as they looked up at him, their leader.

"However, contrary to what many of you think. The demons have not been killed." A wave of murmurs quickly sparked as the cheering died, but the professor had no problems squashing it back down.

"The demonic fire bird is extinguished and the accursed nine-tailed fox has been weakened and trapped in a mortal form with its powers separated from it! However, it cannot be killed lest its true form re-emerge." Sarutobi said warningly.

"Through the work of our beloved leader, our Yondaime Hokage, it is now powerless with its power sealed within our hero here. For the demon though, it is only right for us to exact on the demon the same pain it caused us!" He presented the 'demon' in a cruel grip, with his hands fisted painfully in its blonde hair as it cried. In his other hand he held their 'hero'.

Sarutobi, the third Hokage, had no problems going through with his plan to manipulate so many and doom one to a life of hell, for unlike the new generation of ninja, he still remembered what the ninja's greatest weapon was – it wasn't a flashy attack technique or powerful weapon, it was instead, deception. TO further cement his own beliefs was simple – shinobi and kunoichi were not samurai with honour, ninja can and will do _anything_ to secure success.

His plan was to turn the phoenix baby into Konoha's greatest weapon and cement Konoha's position as the strongest. His paranoia developed from years and decades as a shinobi had also demanded he had back-up plans; Should the main plan fail or the demon child show signs of not being loyal to Konoha there were less _pleasant_ alternatives.

The orphan who held the kyubi's powers would also be trained but without the hate the phoenix baby would face. Instead, he would be raised the orphan to hate the phoenix baby. Bathed in a live of privilege given to him by the village, it would ensure he would cherish and love the leaf; protecting it at all costs. Just in case his main plan of creating a powerful weapon through pain and controlled kindness failed.

From the minute he had been born, the phoenix child had seals placed onto him. The seals placed on the child enabled to Hokage to restrict the child's powers and knowledge, both human and phoenix. They would enable to Hokage, more specifically the third, to always know the child's location and even kill the child should the demon ever pose a threat to Konoha.

The plan was perfect in a way, every plan was, and it should have guaranteed Konoha a powerful weapon. However in all his life and experience he had, as cunning and clever as he was, he had committed a single mistake which would cause him to fail – He had overlooked the possibility of demons and monsters being anything more than gullible and stupid creatures. After all, Kushina and Minato were both manipulated by him easily enough, he, a human, and them, a phoenix and its deceitful human love. He released a small cruel chuckle. Minato had been nothing but a stupid fool. Powerful, loyal and even evil when he needed to, he was still nothing but a naïve child who fell prey to him the first day the Professor of Shinobi had noticed him. Convincing him to pretend to be the demon's lover was simple - Just some _heartfelt_ words about the Will of Fire propaganda and a few tugs at his heart using the village were all that had been needed. Even easier had been getting Minato to use the Shiki Fuin (Reaper Death Seal) to create his weapon, and to think, ridding the world of his stupid faux _successor_ was so easy he almost broke into giggles while doing it. All he had had to do was somehow leave out the fact about a generous amount of human sacrifices being needed to prevent the reaper from taking its user's life.

Looking through his crystal ball, he laughed. In his musings he had somehow missed the first attempt on the blonde weapon's life. Nonetheless, everything was going according to plan, Sarutobi thought. Leaning back on his chair, he merely had to nudge his head up slightly to get one of his ANBU to help the poor monster. An ANBU member who just happened to had lost her whole family during the attack by the Kyubi and the phoenix mere hours ago, he smirked. Gently sticking his pipe into his mouth, he breathed a soothing breath. Even this simple action made him laugh – The sheer number of fools in his Shinobi forces who didn't think was ludicrous. Just a simple chakra application to form a thin wall on the inside of his lungs; the harmful effects of smoking would never curse him.

Hiruzen eventually wondered, were all sentient creatures like this or was it simply just his luck?

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_She should have known…_

Just a little more than a year ago they had been the closest of friends.

"Hey Mizore, we're going to finish up the fort later, can you come?" Kumiko and Futuri had been just as cheerful that day.

"Sorry, I can't, my mom wanted to teach me stitching later." Maybe she shouldn't have said no.

Her friends gave her a brief pout but their excited smiles returned within seconds.

"Then we'll save the last one for you." She returned with a nod and an equally thankful smile. They had been building the fort for close to two weeks. It had started off as something else, just a few rudimentary walls to give them an edge in snow ball fights against the other children, but it had slowly grown. Eventually it had become something like a second home to them. They met up and played at least five times a week in the fort as they built it.

Turning back to head home, the normal sounds of them trudging through the snow away had been just like any other day.

Unsurprisingly she had been in a sour mood with her mother later. She'd had put in just as much effort as Kimiko and Futuri and they had planned to finish it this evening. Though, she didn't express more than a small amount of annoyance at her mother, just little enough that it didn't get her in trouble.

However as an hour passed, her frustration kept building. The needle was simply too stubborn. It refused to do what she wanted it to do. After her twelfth failed attempt at copying what her mother said was a basic pattern, and she thought so too later on, she had sliced her failed work into pieces. Literally. She didn't hear her mother's gasp, far too concerned with damning the irritating needle. Glaring at it with pure hate, she inevitably broke it as she her sharp ice claws sliced.

In the evening glow, she had probably appeared rather mystical. Snowy hair, ice cold eyes and shining hands which reflected the sun's rays. Yet, it hadn't mattered.

_Why had she been so painfully naïve?_

She fell with nothing more than a clipped muffle of pain, teeth biting painfully into her lower lip. A pained glint showed in her eyes, asking…_why?_

But she dared not vocalise her question. She already knew the answers she would get. _Freak of nature, weakling, eyesore, disgrace…_

Yet she tried again, only to be shoved back as hard. This time her eyes burned as salty tears formed. All she had wanted was to talk to them again…Kumiko…Futuri… Turning her back on them she ran, away from their taunts and insults.

Even so, she could feel the glares and stares of the villagers around her, locking onto her form as soon as she was seen running. Curiosity and worry turning sharply into callousness or hateful fear.

Amidst it all, she could already feel the power she hated manifesting. Ice formed where her hands were and tresses of her purple hair were replaced by shards of crystals. Her mother had said it was gift she had awakened her powers from such a young age to a degree where she could already pull of a full transformation. She'd do more than beg to differ. For her mother had had forgotten a part of their village's history.

When the villagers had been told of it they were sceptical and wary. After all most yuki-onna only develop a faint control over it when they were young – making small snow balls and freezing water was as far as most went. Even partial transformations where their ice claws formed had never been seen as possible. At least, not for their normal children. In their recorded history there had been only one exception. A yuki-onna whom had had her name erased from all physical records. Said yuki-onna had shown incredible prowess at her age, ten at the time, being able to undergo a partial transformation and having not only the stamina to make large structures, but also the skill to create incredibly precise designs. They had been wowed, especially since all, as they had thought previously, yuki-onna only started to seriously develop their powers around fourteen years of age. They would usually be able to enter a partial transformation by fifteen and a full transformation by seventeen, with more talented ones developed both transformations at most a year earlier.

Hence the villagers had treated her with happy smiles and showered her with deserving praises. She had been such a prodigy after all, not to mention her cheery disposition and warm smiles that had had them smiling the warmest of emotions.

Then the unexpected had happened. Within one night, over three dozen adults and children had been slaughtered. The fashion in which they had been killed was no less than horrible. The worse off had their faces carved into macabre expressions. She was found in the scene of her crime too. Sitting with a crazed expression, surrounded by dead bodies, bathed in red blood and in her partial transformed state. She had managed to take down five more of them before they gave up on trying to subdue her. But as they suddenly switched their lethality, an innocent smile had formed on her cute face. Her attackers had paused, their pause which would prove to be their last mistakes of their lives. Within a second the mad glint of a madwoman had reappeared in her eyes and suddenly, the whole area had sprouted ice spears. Impaling more than another dozen of them. When they had finally made it back to where she had been by cutting through her icy forest of spears, they had found her dead self. A single ice spear impaled her from right between her legs to the tip of her head where it exited and extended for another half metre. Grey matter had hung off the ice spear as her blood trailed down the icy pole.

It had been a dark day for the whole village. Not only had they lost a great deal of members, but they had also been led to believe one painful thing: A yuki-onna developing her power early was terrible, for it caused their minds to become unstable. After all, what else could have probably been her motive? Their child genious had only been ten. Add in how they had found her body, impaled off the ground, a full transformation with her hair having been replaced with ice, and their belief was more than cemented.

So when they had confirmed her powers, their sceptical looks had immediately changed. With her as young as she had been, six years old then, even younger than that of their last prodigious murderer, they had panicked, fearing for their safety on the grounds that she would be mentally unstable. Add in her normally introverted and quiet personality, and they had immediately sent her fearful looks which were quickly overshadowed by hatred. Right in front of both her and her mother, they had demanded her death. Her scared eyes begging them for a chance didn't faze their cold looks in the slightest.

From that moment on, her life in the village had become living hell. Running past the village perimeter she continued to run as far as her legs could keep with her sprint.

For a year already she had suffered their stares and insults. No one in the village would hold a decent conversation with her, the other children her age bullied her and when they adults knew, her bullies were rewarded. Stores refused to allow her in for even basic necessities.

Unceremoniously dropping onto the ground, she flipped herself so she faced the sky. She had stupidly hoped today, her seventh birthday, would be different. She had made her wishful wish as her mother celebrated with her. Thinking about today being different, she had allowed her mask to slip slightly. The small bit of vulnerability she had showed had been enough. Her heart hurt painfully.

Only her mother had stuck by her side, weathering with her through the harsh whispers and demands set for her. Her eyes looked to the sky pensively, as a faint pained smile formed. She loved her mother and she was sure their bond was stronger than most other mother-daughter bonds in the world. She believed her mother wouldn't hesitate to fight the Demon if it meant saving her, and she knew neither would she.

She had spent uncountable hours in her mother's arms, sobbing as a broken wreck. People she thought had been her friends before had quickly turned their backs on her with reinforced callousness. Despite her crying and begging, not a single one had remained her friend. Not to mention how since her powers had been revealed, the only one she could have a decent conversation with was her mother. Her mother didn't give up on her, though she had half-expected her to. The guilt borne from her doubt had worn at her after, and again made her seek the comfort of her mother's arms . She felt pitiful. Ever since then she also ate only at home and for a while only what her mother cooked, before she learned how to make some simple dishes herself.

Although, at this thought her head dropped in humorous dejection - she would rather not eat most of what she tried to cook and she was sure no sane person would. She could really only make one or two edible dishes…the rest, her mother had once aptly described as "WHAT THE HELL?!"

It had been one of the only times she had heard her mother shout much less curse. It wasn't because of the state of the kitchen either, she released a laugh, more likely it had been the results of her cooking - A _moving!_ purple glob with tiny tentacles sticking out of it at odd angles.

Still, it hurt. True she had her mother, and she knew there were probably some less lucky than her. She was fed, taken care off and had a shelter over her head. But with only her mother as her source of social interaction for two years, she couldn't help but yearn for another – A friend perhaps, one at her age. There were just some things a parent couldn't help with.

At the thought her eyes darkened.

"Yeah right." She softly mumbled. Like she would ever get any other friends in the village, she thought sadly as tears brimmed at the edge of her eyes.

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Why? Why did they always do this? Naruto thought. Hugging himself, the shivering boy made himself as small as he could. His tiny arms were shakily wrapped around his skinny legs as he hid in the small enclosed space. He could hear them, their cluttering footsteps as they ran through the wet streets. The thunderous beats of the raindrops as they were stopped by the cardboard above him deafened his hearing. Their shouts made him shiver, their threats made his heart jump and their _promises_ made his blood run cold.

They always did this, no matter how much he smiled, how much he cried or how much he pleaded. On any other day they would give him the cruellest of glares with their cold orbs. Sometimes break a few of his bones and grace him with a few bruises if they were in the mood. But every year, on this day, on his birthday, they were always overtaken by their rage and anger as they sought a way to release their emotions…He was always their relief. To him it had been scary the first few times he witnessed their unexplainable rage towards him, but as each year passed his mind grew number.

As the mob ran past his hiding place he quietly whispered a tune he had heard so many painful times sung for others, but never for him. He had no other way to keep himself somewhat calm.

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. Happy eighth birthday…" It served to make his heart ache painfully, but it helped nonetheless, to remove any thoughts causing him to tremble or possibly whimper.

The only two reasons he always survived their beatings was two he didn't even understand. A ridiculously fast and advanced healing factor and the other he didn't know how to term. Every time he got into a situation where he would more than likely die, he …'woke'…up…so to say. Now it was happening again. He became more aware, his thoughts became clearer and …it was probably the only reason he was thinking all this too.

From his memories, every time after he was caught and beaten, he would wake up in a hospital room and the Hokage would be there. His usual self had termed him 'jiji' out of affection, but for some reason, as if something warned him not to, he couldn't bring himself to think of the seemingly kind man in such a way. Things always failed to add up – The old man always said he was the Hokage, the head of the village, yet he was able to fail to stop his abusers each year on the same day from the same people?

But he would never get the chance to think further, as every time without fail he would slowly slip away into sleep again while his _usual self emerged._

To make it worse the suspicious old man would always tell him to forgive the villagers, for they were merely misunderstood and instead grieving. How a terrible incident had stuck them all in their sorrow and how he always somehow _just_ happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sadly his _usual-self_ always believed him, despite how the old man would always evade his questions about his parents and his beatings. However his suppressed self always questioned the Hokage's reasoning, but never in front of him. Something in him simply told him not to fully trust the aged man, and compared to the senile man's broken promises that the beatings would stop, he trusted this feeling more.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he concentrated on his senses. When the last of their footsteps registered in his ears, He let himself calm. He had managed to lose them…for now…there was still the rest of the day to go.

Timidly, he poked his head out of the box. Sparing quick glances in every direction he noticed no one. A few more suspicious minutes and he slowly crawled out. Immediately he could feel the stings. As the rain fell onto him and dampened his form. He shivered. It wasn't the sting from the impact of the rain drop, no, it was the cold. With each drop that landed on him he got colder, he always hated it, the cold was always more than just unpleasant to him. Wrapping his arms back around himself as another shiver wrecked through his weak body, he quickly but stealthily ran. One of the many abilities he had picked up out of necessity over the years.

Consulting his near-perfect photographic memory available to him only when he was 'awake, he navigated himself to a forest he had found a few months back. His usual clueless-self had found himself lost in those woods while escaping a violent drunkard. In there were giant creatures, freakish and powerful, that had given him countless frights. However he couldn't help but notice the lack of one thing, the lack of people. Those creatures that had frightened him had also done their best to ward off the villagers of Konoha (Leaf village). Over the course of a few weeks, He had secretly hidden some food there whenever he got the chance, whenever he 'woke' up.

His goal now was to make it to his cave. To hopefully hide there until the day ended. Ducking into another alley he evaded a drunkard. A woman who was in her mid-thirties and had pale brown hair. One of his usual abusers. Turning his back he continued to run.

By the time those safe fences came into sight, his legs felt like they were on fire. Ignoring it as best as he could, he easily ducked through the small opening in the fence. From there, it was familiar territory, ironically safe territory. He relaxed.

His complacency soon proved to be a mistake as the sound of something dropping behind him made itself known. Quickly swerving around, he quickly took in her appearance. She wore a chainmail shirt and a large trench coat with a skirt which wasn't very modest. Her eyes were guarded but he could see the sorrow and sorry she leaked. He opened his mouth to ask but never got the chance - Maybe it had been because she already knew what he was going to say.

"Sorry, but it's either you or me and as much as I'm sorry for you, I'll have to do what those old bastards on the council told me to do." Her voice was soaked in pity and her remorse for what she was about to do was all too clear. He could see it as she tried to harden her face and failing. Before the darkness overtook his vision he noticed a lone tear falling from her face.

Why? Was Naruto's last thought as he slipped from the conscious world.

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He felt detached, to him it felt weird yet it felt fine all the same. A faint throbbing echoed in the empty world he was in. However he barely had a moment to understand before he was dragged painfully back to the cruel waking world as a streak of pain came from his thigh. Blinking frantically, he looked around, and before he consciously realised it a feeling of dread had spread within him. They had caught him.

Feeling for the rest of his body, he felt the burn in his arms as they strained to hold him from the pole. Then the painful burning and stretching itch from where his palms were stuck together, by a blade with its broader side facing down, registered. His legs were held off the ground, and apart from the wooden stick sticking awkwardly out of his right thigh. Everything else felt in place…for the moment.

Their loud chanting beat against his ears, as they wielded numerous weapons, from blunt to sharp, long to short and shiny to dull. He wanted to give up, to simply let himself go and forget all that his life had been – pain, misery and suffering. But something in him kept him from doing so.

His desperation and want to simply give up increased tremendously as one of his eye sockets was slowly invaded by a blunt hollow metal pole which was cruelly twisted without mercy. Yet, he couldn't as something in him held him back, telling him he couldn't give up, and _wouldn't_ want to give up.

Yet he knew that the worse was yet to come, for it wasn't the first time he had been tortured so. He had regrown more eyes than the number of years he had been alive. As serrated knife was agonisingly dragged slowly across his body he didn't scream. His teeth holding onto his lips till they bled red.

He had been through such pain enough times to know there was nothing he could do to stop the pain. The most he could was distract himself from it. So, he thought. He thought of a better day as another knife was brutally sent into his gut. Twisted in brutal circles it didn't do more than shake his imaginary thoughts briefly. He could still see, still hear, still feel, but it helped nonetheless.

Suddenly he found himself back in the world as his sole working eye noted a circle of ninja, clad in Konoha ANBU's grey and black uniform form around him.

Had the old-man Hokage actually been truthful at this time? Had he really been trying to protect him? Naruto asked in shock.

The mob around him took a hesitant step back as they feared the presence of these ninja, elite ninja who answered only to the Hokage. They thought the ninja were here to save the monster brat and arrest them, but despite his initial hopeful thoughts, his lone eye hardened as something within him screamed; Lies!.

It wasn't a surprise to him when all of them turned to face him and their hands formed familiar gestures. The cheering from the mob was reignited as they witnessed their ninja cleanse their village of demon filth, namely…the child in the centre of them. A child who had a ruined eye socket, an almost spilling torso and red life caked all over his body.

They sped through hand-seals in tandem and when they stopped, they all stopped in perfect synchrony and verbatim.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu(Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)!" shouted the squad of ANBU in unison. The only other sound matching the roar of growing flames were the mob's loud shouts for his demise.

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and waited, and all too soon he felt the heat from the flames brush him as the rain did nothing to diminish the balls of fire. Sizzling sounds made themselves known as his clothes started to burn, he was sure he would follow soon.

He was sure that he was already engulfed, with flames already having embraced him, but to his shock and wary relief, he never felt the pain. Maybe he had been killed instantaneously? Was he already dead? Is this how being dead feels like? He mentally asked himself.

His vision was white and his body felt weightless. He merely let himself drift in the void of nothingness.

Suddenly a feeling made itself known, it spread from his skin inwards. A feeling of warmth, of power, of safety spread through his body. As it flooded his body his senses heightened as his mind became sharper. However sharp pains from his damaged eye, his neck, from above his heart and from the majority of this torso screamed bloody murder to his senses. Before he knew it a scream of agony had been ripped out of his throat pass his stubborn lips. It felt as though something was being forcefully undone, as though something which had never been supposed to be locked was finally free. Within seconds the pain was gone, and the warm feeling returned.

He could feel his body and his very mind changing. His thoughts and his personality started to adjust and oddly enough, it felt right. In his mind he witnessed as his 'usual-happy-go-lucky-self' fade away. In its place a black-greyish orb which sparkled and attracted his hand. Reaching out with one hand, He didn't understand why he had suddenly embraced it with his whole being. It pulsed a few short times before it started to sink into him. The whole time he could feel changes erupt all over his body as knowledge of so many things and memories of so many blank areas in his life were given to him. A faint click sound echoed in his mind and all of a sudden it felt like he had just released everything and, it felt right. His veins burned like liquid fire as power emerged from deep within his being, he felt it pulse and morph as it was released. He felt a power, his own power, push and struggle. He let it push, he let it flow unhindered. It forced itself outward and the last thing that his ears heard was the mixed screams of countless people before a single completing sensation overtook him…

The large pulse of power erupted, extending to the ends of the Elemental Nations and beyond into other dimensions which had even the smallest inkling of a link to this one.

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A/N) This chapter is finished and hopefully I'll see you at the end :).


	2. Meetings of Chance

A/N) I thank all of you for your support, this story is something that I really do care about and if I abandon this I wouldn't be able to face myself for a long time.

The support you give really does mean something. I hope you realise that too. Sometimes a simple message of reassurance is all it takes to help. Thanks.

I use a little Japanese to substitute some nouns. Reason being that I want to try and keep some of the original feel.

By the way, I know my folklore so I'll tell you guys now that phoenixes in my story don't exactly follow folklore. I changed many things…

Disclaimer: I hereby claim that I the author of the fanfic below do not in any shape or form own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Rosario + Vampire and Rosario + Vampire capu2. However the ideas and storyline are mine.

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**Chapter 2: Meetings of chance**

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."  
― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

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**"Wake up."** It was faint to him as he floated in a weightless world. It came again, and the world merely shook.

**"Wake UP!"** this time his world cracked and his eyes reopened to greet the world, but the world was a different one to his eyes. White specks were flying past him, some slow and some fast. More surprising was that the world was covered in a blanket of white.

He got no more than a few more seconds before the odd sensation of something tugging on his consciousness overcame him and his world changed once more. This time he found himself in a dark and damp place. Lifting himself up from the ankle-deep water he took in his surroundings.

'Did they throw me into a sewer again?' It was the first thought that went through his mind. However he soon realised something, he was still 'awake'. His memories of the recent past suddenly came rushing back.

"What happened?" he asked aloud as he surveyed his own body. Squeezing his own hand experimentally he tested his own body freely. Breathing in a large breath he held it…before releasing it in one go. He definitely felt different, not just his body but his mind too. He found himself taking in numerous details while simultaneously analysing every little bit of information. It felt almost surreal.

Everything looked like the normal sewer, but his eyes had noted the pipe above which emitted a faint red glow. It pulsed. He blinked.

'Am I dreaming?'

It pulsed again and this time it seemed to be slower. He blinked again.

Then now the part of the pipe directly above him glowed brighter, before the glow began slowing moving forward. Then it went back to him again before repeating its movement.

'Is it…asking me to follow?' He looked at it with suspicion. Normally he would have simply followed it but now, now he wasn't trapped by his usual clueless self, he wasn't asleep. Yet something was different, he couldn't explain it but his mind didn't feel like how it usually did. In fact the closest he could get at explaining it was an odd sensation of things coming into place.

'Maybe that's why I'm suddenly so observant…'

Soon enough he came to a conclusion, he would follow the light, if only to see where it would lead him for he failed to find any other alternative apart from getting lost in the surely twisting tunnels.

He was led down a few turns but he had easily kept a mental lock on his location as he formed a map in his mind that expanded as he moved. Soon he figured out his destination, as an exit revealed itself. Behind it light streamed through to him while a feeling of power leaked toward him. The glow above him sped toward the entrance and disappeared into the curtain of light.

Warily he followed. He quickly noted how his eyes had oddly almost instantly adjusted themselves to the brightness. He started to pick out details as soon as they made themselves known to him. The large metal cage that took up most of the large room was extremely obvious. What piqued his interest was how high it extended, for he couldn't see the ceiling. However more of his attention was drawn to the large cage. After all, what kind of being would require a cage large enough to trap a mountain?

His question as quickly answered the second a gigantic snout exited the shadows that shrouded the back of the cave. Naruto though, made no visible reaction as his mind focused on connecting several dots to questions that he had always wanted the answers to. The fact that there was a Bijuu in front of him barely even registered.

The older being however wasn't too fond of being ignored. He released an earth-shattering growl that made the water ripple violently. Naruto's attention was easily caught by him.

**"I didn't bring you here to daydream."**

"I…" With his thoughts in a mess, it was all he could say.

**"Have you figured out why they hate you now?"**

Naruto let his arms fall as he looked up at the fox with no small amount of annoyance. "Yes." He didn't know why, but an entirely foreign feeling was possessing him. It made him want to destroy something, to kill someone…

"What's this feeling? It's overwhelming, making my thoughts cloudy…I feel this urge to make someone suffer…" his words started normally, before it reduced to a whisper and ended with a harsh breath.

The Kyubi's eyes narrowed at the boy. **"It's rage."**

"Rage?" Naruto asked as he paid the fox attention, his calculating yet confused eyes almost made the fox shiver.

**"You had seals placed on you as a baby, they were designed to keep you stupid and loyal to that village of meat bags, one of those ways by which it did it was to seal off any rage or anger you could have felt against them."** The fox sneered at the end as his own anger demanded he kill those humans who dared to do such things.

**"Those seals had also made your mind weak and underdeveloped. Such that when you started developing a mask to hide from all the abuse you suffered daily it blurred into your real personality and sent your real mind into a dormant state." **Naruto's eyes widened.

'That…that explains so much…' Naruto thought. His momentary days of clarity when he was in extreme danger. Him viewing his 'normal'-self fading away and a sense of correctness flooding him then.

He had seen people mad before, as anger flushed their faces red but he himself had never felt it.

The Kyubi's eyes widened slightly as he braced himself against the explosion, the sheer amount of rage the boy was giving off…it was close enough to match his on his worst days.

'Looks like my senses weren't off. Not one bit.' Kyubi had been sceptical when he had sensed the presence of one of them, they hadn't been around for eons. Though it wasn't the pure emotion the boy leaked, but rather the obvious presence of an ancient energy that accompanied the emotional outburst. The sheer power they had wielded, even if just in his memories were enough to make him shiver as the boy before him gave off a similar kind of power.

**"Don't let it control you hatchling."** His voice echoed off the walls around them.

Naruto didn't listen, it wasn't possible. This was the first time he had ever felt any anger of any kind and it was simply overwhelming, it suffocated his rational thinking as his fists tightened enough to draw blood.

With a swipe of his tails Kyubi sent a wave of water at the boy. Who stewing in his fear failed to notice the approaching wave.

"Hey!" His anger was literally washed away despite his indignant response as he focused on the fox that had soaked him. Though the second his eyes met the fox's he seemed to realise what he had been doing.

"Sorry."

Regardless of the circumstance, that made the Kyubi reel back from shock. This was the first jailer he had that ever apologised to him for _anything_, it didn't matter that this one wasn't exactly human. Every host that he had been in till now was more than happy to simply blame him for everything.

**"Do you blame me for how your childhood has been**?" This single question would determine what he would do.

Naruto seemed to think for a moment as he looked at the gigantic red fox.

"Unless you attacked for no reason at all or a really stupid one, no. It wouldn't be fair to blame you for what _they_ choose to do." His usual self might have probably said everything was the Kyubi's fault, but he wouldn't – He'd be no different otherwise.

That allowed the fox to breathe a breath of relief. The edges of his lips tugged as faint hints of a smile. A bright light suddenly covered his form as he shifted. Soon he was walking on two feet.

"My name is Kurama, and we have a lot to talk about Naruto." A man with red hair that was tied into a single pony tail walked through the bars of the cage. His nine tails flowed majestically behind him while he wore a loose-fitting shirt and a pair of army pants. By his waist was a sword with a brown hilt and around his left wrist was band that bore an ancient symbol – a phoenix with a whirlpool background.

Sensing his jailer's question he answered it automatically.

"This is my preferred form and as for those bars, they will let me through as long as they don't sense any ill intent from me that is directed toward you."

Kurama's body seemed like it was sculpted out of marble as his muscles moved with his body elegantly. He exuded an aura of nobility but under it was an undertone of a seasoned killer that had seen too much.

As Kurama reached the boy, a loud shaking suddenly ripped through the sewer. He cursed. It was only made worse as the boy in front of him suddenly fell. Rushing forward he caught the boy before he dashed back into his cage. In his cage, he had some power.

Imagining a simple bed, he placed Naruto onto it. Beside him he placed his hand over Naruto's forehead. Kurama focused his energy into his hand, and within a second he had formed a link.

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His eyes snapped open. Immediately he took stock of his condition. It was no wonder to Kurama why the boy had fainted, apart from the boy's head everything was covered in snow. With as much youki as he could safely channel, he released a burst of fire that melted the snow. While it had the unfortunate side effect of burning his host's clothes it was all he could do to prevent the boy from suffering hypothermia. Swirling small amounts of youki within the boy's body he warmed vital organs and kept his limbs functional.

Then he weakly pulled the body onto its feet.

'It was a miracle he even lasted that long, he landed in a frozen wasteland of all places. Guess even this lucky bastard's luck can run out sometimes.' He survey the area, but all he could make out was snow, snow in every single direction for as far as his eyes could see.

Noting that he was on a mountain, he started his _ancient_ duty to keep the boy alive. Spreading his senses as much as he could while limited by the frail body he was using wasn't easy, but he still managed to pick out two nearby signatures that were close to each other.

Immediately he turned to head towards them. His ability to sense negative emotions easily told him that those two wouldn't harm without reason and that was all that he had for the moment.

Within ten minutes of climbing up the mountain he cursed again. Annoyingly when he had connected to his host's body to guide it, the feelings of fatigue and pain had also decided to tag along. To make it worse, the last time he had felt tired from walking was when he was seven! Letting out an irritated growl he pushed forward.

'A bit more…' His breathing was laboured as the body he was using started to give out on him. His limbs felt like they were made of lead and every step he took seemed to take every bit of energy he had. There was only so much youki he could push through the seal before the limiter kicked in.

Kyubi could only hope that they would detect him as he sent out his last attempt to save the boy. Amassing all the youki he could without harming his host, he shot it out of the boy's mouth. The ball of youki went straight up into the sky before a line of red hot energy shot out from it toward the direction of the two that he had sensed.

Below the red orb, lied Naruto's unconscious body.

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Tsurara Shirayuki and Mizore Shirayuki sat together on a simple blue mat as they slowly ate shaved ice. They watched the horizon quietly enjoying the peace they had. The mountain range in front of them made for a very nice landscape, on one of the mountains was the village they lived in. They themselves were on a mountain, near the peak on a wide expanse of flattish land. Despite the snow-capped mountain they both only wore simple white kimonos. Tsurara's kimono which had a violet-blue line running through the collar was held together with a violet obiage[2], a Byzantium[1] obi[3] and an indigo obi-jime[4]. Mizore's kimono only extended to her knees and had a red-violet collar with a similar coloured simple obi holding it together. They welcomed the cold as they let the peace and tranquillity sooth them.

This was their secret spot, no one else knew of it and they liked it that way. Or rather, it was because of Mizore. She never said a thing to her mother, but Tsurara knew she was always more comfortable here, not her room, not their house and sadly not their village. Definitely not their village…

It saddened her, the fact that her daughter held some resentment and hate toward the village, but she knew why. Mizore had no friends her age in the village and even some, heck most of the adults were wary of her. Had it simply been because of Mizore's different personality she might have had an easier time helping her daughter, but when even adults in the village shunned her daughter for developing her abilities far sooner than they usually do there was only so much she could do, even less when they told their children to stay away from her daughter. Sure they respected her, being one of the more influential people of the village, but it was a whole different story when it came to her daughter. She wouldn't even have believed that people were capable of behaving so drastically different had she not seen it first-hand. She suppressed the small frown that threatened to show from her worry for her daughter's future, especially when the time came where Mizore turned of age.

Her senses suddenly blared at her before a line of bright red youki that simply blinded her senses suddenly appeared in the sky in front of them. Suddenly it stopped and for a few seconds it merely hung in the sky as a red line that almost looked solid.

As she quickly got Mizore onto her feet the end of line suddenly burst. Bringing the sleeve of her kimono she wrapped herself around Mizore as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Though…the pain never came. "Haha(mother), what are you doing?" Mizore's muffled voice tinged with worry came from within the folds of her kimono.

Slowly unwrapping herself she turned to face the oddity that hung in the air. There were numerous symbols that she had never seen before, 救命, Hilfe, Bantuan, Auxilium, were but a few of the hundreds before her eyes. As she scanned through them her eyes eventually landed on one she recognised, 救助（きゅうじょ）[7].

'Help…' she said aloud in her mind. Apparently whoever had managed to send something like this was asking for help…

Gently patting her daughter on the head she got Mizore to relax as her bright blue eyes looked curiously, at her and at the words that were spelt in the sky. Settling her own nerves she pulsed her youki outwards. Tracking the line that blared like a permanent bolt of lightning on her senses she eventually reached the end of it. Sharpening her senses to focus on other senses at the area she picked up a small blip that was quickly fading.

She didn't bother thinking too long over it, she would help whoever had asked for it even if only to figure out what could have sent such a focused line of youki-the amount of control needed to sustain such a thing was simply ludicrous. Even now the line hadn't disappeared.

"Looks like we're going on a rescue mission Mizore. Pay close attention to how I handle it okay dear?" her daughter's eyes flashed from the words that were held in the sky to hers, a curious sparkle glinted in her eyes. Smiling gently she lifted her daughter up as she made a snow sled. Climbing onto it she set her daughter down.

"Hold very tightly musume(daughter)." Normally she wouldn't try to go ask fast as possible, but by the way the signature she had locked on to was fading she only had a few minutes. With a great deal of focus she sunk her control over snow and ice into their surroundings. Mizore's eyes widened as she sensed the amount of power her mother was going to use, entering a partial transformation she sunk her ice claws into the sled to secure herself. Just in time too.

With a powerful tug Tsurara launched the snow sled at breakneck speeds down the hill. Mizore had expected a madwoman frantically trying to control the craft, but as she looked at her mother she could only stare in awe as her mother moved as elegantly as she always did. It was like a beautiful dance as her mother hands' swayed from side to side, front and back, as the craft continued gaining speed.

Within a minute they had covered enough distance for Tsurara to mentally note her breaking her own personal speed record by two times. With the target a mere 100 metres ahead she tightened her grip onto the snow around them, soon Mizore was jerked roughly as her mother's hand suddenly stiffened and twisted. Their craft came to a skidding stop in three seconds. With an advanced technique Tsurara held the blinding blizzard away from the area as she forced the snow to bend in a circle around them. It was tiring and she wouldn't be able to sustain it for too long.

Sliding off her sled, she approached what her senses had locked onto five minutes ago. The red line still clear above them. Oddly enough when the boy's body was clearly within her vision, did the line then dissipate.

Deciding to ask that later she kneeled beside the boy who was partially buried in the snow.

A small frown made a way to her face as she sensed the boy's energy signature.

'Fire…' the heat of the boy's power was obvious to her cold powers. It didn't make any sense to her. She couldn't understand how a fire youkai (monster) had somehow made it this deep within the range of mountains. The cold would have killed every fire youkai she knew if they had come unprotected from the elements.

Her daughter however had different reactions as she saw the boy that she also immediately recognised as a person not from her cold village. A blush spread on her face as Mizore noted the boy's lack of clothing. Add in the fact that this was the first time she had seen a boy nude much less a boy her age… Curiosity was a rather powerful incentive, but it paled in comparison to the hope that had sprouted within her heart – He wasn't from her village, and he wouldn't know about her powers. He wouldn't have a reason to fear her. She'd finally be able to make a friend…

"Help me with him musume." Lifting one of the boy's arms she handed the other to her daughter, who had had a distant look in her eyes. Disregarding that though, she mentally noted that the boy's skin felt warmer than a human's. She mentally slapped herself for her momentary stupidity, he probably wasn't one anyway with how he had managed to construct such a solid line of youki. Tentatively Mizore reached out to grab his arm before slinging it over her shoulder. Together they lifted the boy onto the sled, but to Tsurara's shock a hole the shape of the boy formed within the minute he was placed onto it. Her daughter though quickly pulled the boy back up, and considering that they were both merely eight it made for quite the sight as she struggled to balance the boy's weight.

Tsurara though was instead focusing her senses on the boy as she tried to get a better read on the boy's energy signature. It felt weak and there was a hint of fire, but he had so little energy, merely slivers of it that it shouldn't have mattered. Her eyes narrowed on him, it was the first time she had ever seen anyone passively melt her ice and considering that she typically made her sleds out of ice dense enough to withstand a head on collision with a boulder…it didn't add up in her head at all.

As she spared a look at her daughter, it made even less sense as her daughter didn't show any signs that the boy was too warm, especially since she had managed to get the boy onto her back.

Deciding to think about all of these later, she placed her hand on the edge of the sled and focused. In mere seconds the hole was fixed, in another minute she had reinforced the sled by condensing her ice as much as she could while holding the blizzard around them back. With a shaky breath she signalled for her daughter to get back onto the sled.

She couldn't help but let out a soft muffled laugh as she looked at how her daughter awkwardly tried to get both herself and him onto the sled. How her daughter's face would contort to express annoyance when she slipped before it finally showed accomplishment and satisfaction when she managed the two of them onto the sled. Her daughter seemed to fit perfectly in the odd scene. A budding hope spawned in her heart, maybe…just maybe, what the village couldn't give her daughter this boy could.

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Two small red birds circled around what used to be a third of Konoha. They weren't ordinary birds, far from it. Both of them possessed immense power, possibly more than every ninja in the shinobi world combined.

The crater was huge, it expanded at least 10 metres down. Surrounding the crater on one side was forest, on the other Konoha. Apparently the edge of the crater was a mere 5 metres from the Hokage tower. On the side of the village though it appeared that the village had erected a stone wall to form a temporary perimeter for what was left of the village. Done looking around they slowly neared the centre of the explosion. Where the residual energy was strongest. While the energy signatures emitted from the area would perturb most people, being slightly over 1.8 millennium years old had its advantages, such as a vast expanse of knowledge which allowed them to easily recognise what was going on.

'This energy is similar yet different at the same time.' was the analytical thought of one of the beings donning a façade of a bird.

'Looks like the huge release of energy also ripped a hole between two dimensions, I can feel the distorted nature energy.' They concluded as they spotted signs that a dimensional rift had appeared there. After memorising the residual energy's signature they flew off. To a location that would be safer for what they were about to attempt.

A small sliver shimmered in the sky and the two birds bulleted into it.

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Back at their home, they were in their humanoid forms as they went about setting up numerous seals and switches. Going to the lowest level they entered an ordinary looking room. Although on closer inspection one would find invisible seals on the walls of the room. Reinforcing the room beyond what materials alone could do. Before they started though they went to another room, also similarly reinforced.

Together they looked longingly. "We'll be back soon musume." Then they left the room which contained an egg, their daughter. It would be a few more years before she was reborn and this would be the first time in a long time they were leaving her alone.

With that they entered and sealed off the room that they were about to open a stable dimensional rift in. A massive energy surge flooded the room, but the seals did their job and contained the surge, they lit up with a dull green colour indicating that they were barely strained. Soon a stable rift was in front of them, framed by a wooden door. With that they entered the rift and the door closed behind them.

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On a snowy mountain two ancient beings of long forgotten power stepped into the dimension. A small yellow glow coated them as snow pelted their forms. Yet none actually contacted them as every piece of ice evaporated upon reaching a centimetre of them.

"Never liked cold places much." Kazeshi whispered as a shiver ran through his body.

Beside him a soft giggle reached his ears as Miyuki found his grumbling amusing. Increasing his power output Kazeshi extended his fiery aura out by a few metres for a second to gain relief from the cold, no matter how small. He was fully aware of the fact that they were on the side of a mountain and any more he did would likely cause the rest of the snow above them to fall. Besides while he could escape the snow, he wasn't too sure about escaping the wrath of his wife…

"Quite the party here in this world." Miyuki said, hitching an eyebrow he spread his senses out. He detected a barrier that hid numerous youkai within while the air itself held a far higher mix of youki that most worlds and the one that really got his interest was the trace remnants of energy from a Bijuu.

That was really odd, for Bijuu while powerful always had problems with moving across worlds as their energies tended to tie the Bijuu down to a few specific worlds and Makai. From what he remembered, the world they were in had no natural Bijuus.

Unless one magically spawned in the last few decades ago, something was wrong. Seriousness crept into his voice.

"We had better find whoever gave out that energy quickly, if he or she is one of us this weather will be rather troublesome. Not to mention all the other youkai this world houses." Miyuki was already halfway through her transformation as she angled her flight path to reach a nearby human settlement.

They were already working under the assumption that whoever they were searching for was in trouble, for the energy signature of any being that was capable of releasing such a large amount that they felt it across worlds didn't just disappear. To add to their concern was the fact that the energy had felt so familiar to their own and hence their bodies should have had an easier time tracking it. The only possible reason that they couldn't detect anything at all was a simple one - whoever it was, was in dire trouble.

One red bird in the sky split into two, then four, then eight and it continued duplicating until they numbered in the hundreds. Fire clones of Miyuki soared in every direction, each heading to separate settlements. They were created with specific orders, search and recover. Should they find nothing after three days they were to return to their original point and dispel.

Kazeshi was responsible for the other part of the search. With a brief moment of focus he created hundreds of fire clones with similar orders to Miyuki's. In mere seconds they split up in every direction as they searched the ground through the blinding blizzard.

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A/N) It was painful…labelling the stuff and matching the colours…

[1]: Byzantium: This is a shade of violet.

[2]: 'obiage'. It's a bustle sash above the obi holding the kimono together.

[3]: 'obi'. It's the main sash holding the kimono together. That big one.

[4]: 'obi-jime'. It's a small string knotted at the front that holds the 'obi' together.

[5]: cryokinesis means control over ice.

[6]: 'tenshi' means angel in Japanese.

[7]: '救助（きゅうじょ）' in case you want to know how to pronounce this, in romanji(English characters basically) its 'kyuujo'. BTW, if you know Japanese, would 助け（たすけ） have been better?


	3. Fulfilling wishes

A/N) Note for new readers who haven't caught on yet. I am currently reworking this story and as of now I have just uploaded the new version of this chapter.

Due to the reworking, a new chapter might not link with the 'next' old chapter based on chronological order. Which means, this chapter three probably doesn't link very well to chapter four as of this moment.

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**Chapter 3: Fulfilling wishes**

"That's what people who love you do. They put their arms around you and love you when you're not so lovable."  
― Deb Caletti

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"What happened?" His voice was strained as he spoke. Clumsily pushing himself up into a sitting position he then swerved his head left and right as he sought to figure out where he was. For the second time that day he found his memories rushing back to him in a mess.

"Kurama!" that was the first word that flew out of his mouth as his more recent memories returned.

"You fainted, quite impressive actually. Most people would never reach a point where even their mental consciousness falls unconscious. Their body usually collapses before then." The Bijuu said as he sipped tea occasionally from a simple cup held in his hands. Kurama sat with his legs crossed under him.

"Thanks…?" He was still a bit wary, after all this wasn't exactly a 'normal' situation.

"Now then seeing as you're awake, I'll continue where I left off." He said as he drained his cup of the rest of the liquid and left it by his side.

"You, as your would probably have already figured out by now, aren't exactly _normal_. Though it helps more often than not." Naruto nodded weakly for his mind was still rather cluttered and he was busy trying to make sense of everything. The fact that even his mind felt different personally only made it harder – the very way he was thinking was changing. He would be able to follow though…somewhat, if he tried hard.

"You are what is known as a phoenix. A phoenix is a legendary immortal bird of fire. Phoenixes possess immense power, so immense that every Bijuu combined would still pale in comparison to the most powerful of phoenixes, though few ever got to that point. With enough control and skill a phoenix can make the literal incineration of a whole world child's play." Kurama stated with a neutral tone throughout. That was a surprise to Naruto too, as he tried to feel the new foreign yet familiar power in his body. He barely felt anything. Something that Kurama easily noted. Though Naruto didn't react like how his usual self typically did, now that he was in control, cognisant of his actions and thoughts he was calmer and more thoughtful.

"Remember, your phoenix heritage was suppressed from birth by seals put on you, it's expected that you don't have much control over it yet." A subtle change in the walls of the boy's mind was picked up by Kurama.

His eyes widened in remembrance of their first chat. He realised the full extent of what Kurama also implied. Unknowingly, his fists clenched tightly.

The walls on of his mindscape shimmered for a moment, Naruto didn't notice it but Kurama did. "It appears that you'll be waking up soon though. So I'll skip to the relevant part first. When those ninja shot those fireballs at you, your body naturally absorbed the energy in them and used it to break the seals placed on you." He made a move to ask, but one look from Kurama made his mouth snap shut.

"Your release of supressed energy since your birth caused a dimensional rift that tore you from your world and into another. So when you wake up don't be too surprised if things are too different." Nodding, he mentally prepared himself.

"Also…" Kurama didn't continue, and while that earned him a questioning look from Naruto, all he did was point. The second Naruto looked at his own body, he freaked out.

"AM I DYING!?" A slap to his face by one of Kurama's tails easily got his attention. The fox sighed, the boy was going to be a pain for at least a month as his mind reintegrated.

"You're just waking up. I'll explain the rest when you sleep, as I'll be able to drag you back here." That was the last of anything he got from the fox before he suddenly found himself in a different environment once more.

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For the most of his life he had been forced to don the mask of a cheery naïve idiot whose development was hindered, but with enough bad experiences even if his failed to adapt, his body naturally did. The fact that his suppressed memories and experiences were now unlocked simply enhanced his trained instincts.

He woke up without a sound, his breathing didn't change and his muscles did not twitch. His eyes remained closed while he automatically noted where everything on his body was. His hearing strained to identify what it could in the room.

'One…' he counted only one person while his own scan of his body already let him know that he was dressed in unfamiliar clothes, unrestrained and had no weapons. He cursed, not because his old clothes were missing - that had happened to his numerous times already in the past. He cursed because getting replacements for his clothes and equipment, however lousy they were, were going to cost him a lot thanks to the jacked up prices that were specially made for him in his village.

However, his mental preparation for an escape quickly halted when he felt something cool and soft touch his forehead. Before he felt what he guessed to be a blanket being smoothened while over him. This was not how any of his abductions had ever been. However his shock was limited when Kurama's warning played itself in his mind. With that in mind he decided to simply play out a natural arousal from sleep.

His eyes flickered open slowly, almost as if he had truly just woken up. Moving to lock onto the person he had heard he came to face a set of blue eyes. Surprise showed on the girl's eyes as she realised that he was looking and she jumped back slightly, before her lips slowly moved into a soft but hesitant smile.

A small amount of suspicion crept into his thoughts as he saw hints of uncertainty and fear in her blue orbs – was it another trap? Yet her face framed by her purple locks seemed to overshadow that as his mind paused for a few moments. His eyes, still adjusting to the light had made the rest of the world a blur with her as its only focus. Unknowingly his lips shifted to utter a single world.

"Tenshi(angel)?" She seemed to stare in shocked surprise for a second before a blush rapidly coloured her face and she averted her eyes from his. He himself didn't realise what had happened until after a few long and awkward seconds. He simply decided to pin the blame on his still adjusting mind and body.

"S…sorry if I surprised you, I was a bit startled." Pulling himself upright he adjusted himself so that he face the girl. The wet towel fell off his head and into his hands.

It was a whisper so soft he almost missed it, but it registered true nonetheless. "It's fine." Her eyes didn't meet his, instead they were locked onto her hands as she fiddled with them. Nervous thoughts rushed through her head. Thoughts, ideas and plans were all formed in her head as she nerve-wrenchingly considered what to do.

"So… my name is Naruto Uzumaki." He wasn't too sure what to do, he didn't have much friendly social experiences after all and as it seemed, neither did Mizore with others her age. His introduction had caused her thoughts to freeze, as she took longer than usual to reply.

"Mizore Shirayuki…" again it was a whisper. To her, the boy in front of her was a chance. A chance to make a friend and regain what she had known years ago before her powers developed. Even if it would be for just until he eventually found out and feared her…

'NO!' she thought, 'He won't find out! I won't let him!' she shouted in her own mind as she barely stopped herself from shaking her head.

Looking at how her attention was almost fully focused on her now rapidly twisting fingers, he couldn't help but let some of his old habits show. Even if they had been 'fake', they were certainly done enough times to stick.

A devious grin played his face as he sought to see how far he could go without her noticing. Slowly his head inched forward, little by little. By the time his mouth was practically beside her ear, he was convinced that she probably wouldn't notice him leaving if he did.

Controlling his breathing, he let a grin form before he released a short but _shocking_ greeting_._

"Hello?"

While he kept the laughter in, he couldn't stop his grin from widening when she pretty much jumped in her kneeling position while swerving to face him at the same time. As she turned her legs criss-crossed with each other and before she knew it she had fallen onto the futon with a clipped yelp beside the blonde who just managed to shift quickly enough so that they didn't collide.

Trying to slow her panicked breathing her eyes stared at him in disbelief; at his smirking face. All her thoughts she had been fabrication before were lost to her now, gone and scattered in the wind as she had been rudely interrupted. Yet any rage that could have built up was lost when her lips mirrored his and a soft giggle escaped her. She didn't exactly understand why, simply that in a way, she probably did look quite hilarious. Her giggle broke the proverbial dam, as a few laughs escaped from Naruto's mouth and soon their laughter only encouraged each other to release more giggles.

Their laughter floated out of the room, reaching Tsurara who was about to get her daughter for dinner had paused outside the door. Pausing, her brow hitched.

With an audible click of the door's latch she entered the room. Quickly enough, much to her amusement, the laughter promptly stopped as she was graced with blushing faces – almost as if the two children in the room had just been _caught _like deer in a headlight.

"Erm…Hi. I'm Naruto Uzumaki…" His greeting battled with the awkwardness that had shrouded them.

Tsurara levelled an analytical gaze at the blond for a few seconds, before letting a gentle smile slip onto her face.

"I'm Tsurara Shirayuki, Mizore's mother." She waved a hand in her daughter's direction to make it clear. Although, deeply rooted instincts made her go through what had just happened in her head. What had happened to her daughter's non-existent social ability?

"Erm..ano…Tsurara-san, do you know what happened?" He asked despite his mind having been screaming at him only a minute ago. When Tsurara had levelled her shielded eyes on him he had almost sprung out of the futon, mistaking her analysing for cold glaring.

Remembering her original intention Tsurara offered instead. "If you're fine, why don't you come down with us for dinner? I'll tell you what I know over it." Ingrained instincts demanded he sense for any hidden agendas, and to a light extent he did. But he didn't strain himself over it as far as he usually did – Maybe it was because his mind was emotionally starved, maybe it was because Mizore had already affected his decisions or maybe it was due to his currently changing mind set, regardless he found himself uncaring.

"Sure." Flashing his own smile he placed himself on his feet. Though Tsurara noted how parts of the smile seemed…forced.

Suddenly certain instances he had witnessed in the past suddenly came to the forefront of his mind. Naruto didn't see much of its subtleties, just that he had seen people do it. So he decided to try it, after all what harm could it do?

Turning back to face Mizore, he stuck his hand out unannounced with a loose wrist. Mizore stopped her own attempt to stand up before it even began, staring at the offered hand confusion filled her for the slightest of seconds. With a childish smile of her own she daintily slipped her hand into his and with a strong tug she was lifted onto her feet, much to Tsurara's hidden surprise.

Naruto on the other hand had picked up her 'strange' reactions, and he had almost withdrawn his hand thinking he did something wrong. While a smile had covered his face when she accepted his hand, his mind was still pondering over her reaction.

However a sudden growl made him shove his thinking for later. Blushing lightly he looked at Tsurara as his other hand rubbed the back of his neck.

"The food is still waiting." Stepping to the side she pointed her finger at the door with a smile that bore the _slightest_ hints of a tease.

"H…hai." Naruto answered. With Mizore walking right by him he followed Tsurara out as she led him through her home.

As they approached another door, this one just to the right of the stairs they had descended, Tsurara turned to face them.

"Why don't you go ahead first Mizore? I want to check on something with Naruto first." With a seemingly curious but wary gaze Mizore looked at Naruto then back to her mother. Her mother wouldn't would she? – She wouldn't deny her this chance would she?

'Would she…?' Mizore asked uncertainly to herself. Her mother had always supported her, doing her best as a mother to help her throughout her life. Her mother knew she wanted a friend…desperately needed one…and to her it didn't matter whether it was forced or fake. She had gone so long without social contact with anyone except her mother she felt like she was going crazy over it.

'But…' Mizore's eyes widened slightly.

'What if she knew…what if …' Mizore stopped herself there; a knee-jerk reaction from the stalker training she had received from her mother - She was taking too long to answer.

"You won't take long?" She asked, slightly louder than she had when talking with Naruto earlier but still soft enough that he would need to strain to hear it. Her tone had been laced with the smallest amount of venom, but her mother had felt it. Subtly hitching an eyebrow, Tsurara filed her daughter's reaction for later.

"Of course." Waving her away with a reassuring smile she shut the door that separated them.

"Follow me." A seed of doubt gnawed at him as he warily trudged after her. Walking to the far end of the corridor, once they took a turn Tsurara stopped to face him. It was her responsibility to the village to at least check him. She had made a split second decision to bring him, an outsider and a potential risk, into their village. She could have decided to bring him to her ski resort instead, but it had been too far and she had no guarantee that he would make the trip.

Now her face was cool and calm, almost like the gentleness had all been a lie. His own eyes narrowed as his body screamed at him to either fight or run. He forcefully held his ground, denying his instincts. He didn't have any proof that she would do anything bad…yet. The scared part of his mind shouted at him with everything it had, telling him that it was all a lie. But that brief moment of joy he had shared with Mizore…even if very short…he had actually felt …happy. He denied the instincts that had been ingrained into him from years of pain, deciding that just this once…just this once…he'd give them the benefit of the doubt.

Tsurara took in his posture, and analysed everything she had seen of the boy thus far. Nothing…absolutely nothing matched what would fit a powerful youkai. Either the boy was ridiculously good at acting… or… She didn't know why, but at that moment an image of her daughter had flashed in her eyes.

"Do you remember anything at all about what happened?" It was a direct question and straight to the point. More than that it was a potentially dangerous gamble, but then again, it was more of a gambit.

"Eh…?" Naruto was stunned, after all, all he had been expecting were less _pleasant_ possibilities.

"No…not really…?" He answered with a small frown as his eyes pointed to below her eyes.

"Not how I ended where I did or here…?" He looked about almost as though he was searching for a road sign or something of the sort.

Deceiving yuki-onna were one of the harder things to do, for pretty much any race it would be plain impossible to get away totally undetected. Being a race where fighting for males was a common occurrence, it wasn't odd how the women had developed unparalleled spying and stalking abilities. After all, getting a mate was one thing but keeping one was another story. Especially when sometimes they even kidnapped human men they were sure wouldn't be missed and slowly 'integrated' them into the village. They were cared for and watched carefully - more than a few had tried escaping before. And while some did eventually develop love for their yuki-onna developers while others went crazy.

At the moment though, multiple flags were raised and flying high in her mind. Her eyes narrowed on the boy as she scrutinised every little detail. From the way he had sounded when he spoke to the way he stood. She could tell he was holding something back, yet nothing he had said had been a lie.

She locked her eyes into his blue ones, but when she did something else struck her. It was very faint, held being a veil so thick yet almost real that even most yuki-onna wouldn't see past it - his _mask_. Heck, the only reason she had managed to even see it was probably due to the fact that the boy's aura was far too familiar. She had unwanted experience with such masks… too _perfect_ masks...

Her daughter's had been a mask of an emotionless girl, a far cry from even her daughter's normal introverted and quiet self. Developed months after that day. She had seen it form before her very eyes bit by bit and there had been nothing she could do as her daughter's normal personality slowly vanished beneath it. As far as she knew her daughter had only let her mask slip once, on her seventh birthday last year on December 7. That memory brought an ache to her heart. The futile hope she had seen in her daughter's eyes. The hours she had spent comforting Mizore after she had found her crying in the open past the village perimeter.

An uncomfortable heartache seeped into her again, as she remembered how she had managed to recognise her own daughter's pain only after two weeks of being utterly and unforgivably oblivious to her daughter's suffering. She had had foolishly believed that the village would believe in her and give Mizore a chance.

She hadn't thought that the village would really treat her daughter that badly, especially since considering how they hadn't changed how they acted toward her. Her locking herself in her room for the first few days should have warned her. Her daughter's refusal to play outside should have been enough of a clue. Her daughter's puffy eyes after she had caught her as she left the toilet should have been too obvious for her. She had blindly and unwisely assumed that her daughter was merely exaggerating.

Yet it was only when she had stumbled upon her daughter in the kitchen did she finally realise it. Mizore had been holding one of her kitchen knives, poised at her own neck. She shivered…had she been mere seconds later.

So she knew, for she had seen and felt such emotions before. Being bullied on by other children or otherwise ignored by everyone else. Even as her mother, she could barely fathom what it must be like to live in her daughter's place.

Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment Tsurara pushed out the memories. In front of her, stood a boy, a boy that could possibly understand her daughter. A boy, which Mizore had chosen to let her mask fall in front of out of a frail hope.

Mind focused, she scrutinised the boy's mask. He emanated just a faint hint of it, of a sadness so soul freezing, stained with so much sorrow … it made a shiver run through her body, if only just slightly. She couldn't even bear to try and compare it to her daughter's. She stopped herself then and there, before she got any deeper. However now that she had felt it, it became far too obvious for her. Simply looking at him now she could practically feel the air of melancholy that soaked his being. A deeply ingrained instinct within her rose, with as much as force as that time she found her daughter in the toilet seconds away from going to sleep _forever_... She _just_ moved.

He didn't know why, but his body hadn't reacted. It had always did in the past whenever someone touched him suddenly…yet this time… it didn't. He was buried in another person. Her arms were wrapped around him as he was held in her motherly embrace. One of her hands was on his hand as it patted the back of his head tenderly. Kneeling, she enveloped the boy as she whispered sweet nothings into his ear. Her own eyes were closed as tears built up at the edges – but she wouldn't let them fall. He stood unmoving as his mind simply failed to work, his eyes wide as he struggled futilely to make sense out of what was happening.

He tried to struggle, he tried to convince himself that he wanted to struggle, tried to tell himself that it was another trap. Yet, he could feel the sincerity from the woman, a woman that he somehow knew had been able to tell that he was wearing a mask. A wave of emotion surged forth from within him, feelings that he swore he had locked away long ago. Salty water leaked from his eyes as it overcame him. Then like a sudden crack, with it everything came loose. He drew his hands up to his body as he gripped her kimono. Burying his head into her like a son would to his mother, sobs wrecked his body as he cried honest sorrow.

"Shh…it's okay…" Words that he had always heard but never for him. Words that bore the love and care he had sought his whole life.

"It'll be alright now…" Another muffled cry as he tightened his grip, on both her clothes and his trembling body.

"Shh…" She rubbed his back affectionately as she soothed his wails. Slowly his cries came to a halt as did his trembles as she continued to bath him in a mother's embrace. Lifting up her arms she used her sleeves to dry his cheeks. As she wiped off the tears her eyes never left his quavering and painfully vulnerable ones.

"Better?" she asked.

Sniffling, he nodded.

"No more crying now okay?" she said with a slight teasing tone as he continued to tenderly wipe off his tears. Standing back up to her full height, she gently grasped one of Naruto's hands before pulling him front.

"You must be very hungry by now ne?" Gently nudging him forward she followed behind. Watching as he walked with a faint smile that reached his eyes.

When he slid the divider to the side, she noticed a flash of purple. Kneeling by the table was Mizore, who _simply_ appeared to be a bit flushed and _just_ happened to be breathing slightly heavier. Disguising a small laugh as a cough, she went to grab another set of chopsticks and a bowl as Naruto sat down at another spot at the table.

After settling his bowl, she took her own seat by the table. Though, instead of going for food first Tsurara looked at her daughter who was staring nervously back.

"Looks like you're going to need more training tomorrow Mizore." Mizore's eyes widened. She knew it! She knew her mother had noticed her failed attempt to listen in on her conversation with Naruto and now she was more than likely to get her mother's special 'training' again – a shiver ran up her body. Mumbling a soft affirmative she hung her head down and turned her attention back to food.

With a satisfied smile Tsurara helped herself to her own food. Mizore had more than likely misinterpreted her words. An almost devilish grin threatened to appear. After she took her first bite though, she paused as she noticed Naruto – fidgeting, nervous and afraid?

His eyes jumped from dish to dish, from his chopsticks to his bowl of rice. He hadn't taken touched his food much less eat any of it yet. He shifted uncomfortably as his hands shook. Somehow she could tell what he was nervous about, what he was unsure off. Picking up generous amounts of all her dishes she put them into his bowl. Naruto seemed to shrink back slightly in shock while Mizore's curious eyes trailed her movements.

"Eat up Naruto. We can't have you falling sick right?" She asked rhetorically, kindly teasing him.

His wide eyes looked at her, then at his food, than back at her before moving onto his food again. He hands shakily cupped the bowl, before he looked at her once more, almost as though he was seeking confirmation.

With the kind of smile reserved for family, Tsurara nodded. That marked the start of what should have been a race. Except in this case, it wouldn't be running. Snatching the bowl in one hand and the pair of chopsticks in the other he lifted both up to his mouth. Without any form of technique whatsoever his right hand fisted over the pair of chopsticks as he rapidly and hurriedly shoved the food down his throat.

A hint of sadness sparked in Tsurara's eyes. She recognised the signs, signs that were telling of his past. The way he was chucking food down his throat – habits from his past that told him that his food might be cruelly taken from him if he didn't eat it quickly.

A forming frown though, was quickly replaced by surprise and an amused smile as she noticed her daughter's actions.

Mizore had found it _odd_, and so with childish naiveness had set out to 'correct' her friend. Naruto found his attempts to eat coming to a sudden halt. He looked up with more curiosity than nervousness as he felt two soft hands over his. Looking behind he was met with an innocently smiling Mizore. He was confused, but only for a few seconds before he figured out what was happening. A slight blush coloured his face as Mizore fumbled with his fingers, getting him to hold the pair of chopsticks properly. She strained from behind him to reach his hands, pressing herself against him as she tried to complete her self-appointed task. Almost like an external glove she tried to get Naruto's hands to mimic her finger movements. An annoyed puff of air escaped her as Naruto's hand proved too difficult to manoeuvre. Setting his other hand and bowl onto the table, she brought her other hand across to assist. In a position akin to hugging him with her hands around him, she continued to adjust his stiff fingers. The blush on his face deepened as embarrassment heated his cheeks. Looking abashedly at his hand he did his best to follow her gestures. After a few more seconds of finger-twisting fumbling it seemed he had managed to pass some sort of silent test. With a satisfied breath of victory Mizore used his hand to pick up a piece of fish before feeding it to Naruto, whose blush had deepened immensely as he closed his mouth over the piece of fish.

Congratulating herself for a job well done she retook her seat as she continued with her own food, while looking at Naruto as his hand was still where she had left them. It almost seemed like he was frozen in place. His eyes were unfocused yet directed at his hand. Mizore's brow hitched as she looked at him in slight fear and curiosity.

"Naruto?" Mizore asked.

That seemed to snap Naruto out of whatever trance he had been in as his blush deepened even further. To Mizore though; at least Naruto was eating again. This time however he ate a pace similar to Mizore, with his head bowed down as he focused on his food, adverting eye contact with her. It took him a minute of awkward eating before he managed to let enough of the embarrassment drain out.

"Arigato (Thank you)."

He made eye contact with an awkward smile as he chewed slowly on a piece of meat he had eaten. Hearing his thanks, Mizore smiled as her head tilted slightly.

Tsurara felt a warmth spread within her – happiness and hope for her daughter. Already several schemes fired off one after another in her mind. Her mind had been made. There was absolutely no way Naruto was going to not be Mizore's friend and hopefully boyfriend then lifelong partner. Setting her finished bowl down, she faced Naruto.

"Do you have anywhere to stay Naruto?" His attention snapped to her as the question was slowly digested by him. As his chewing slowed, he shook his head negatively downcast. Her daughter's worry became rather obvious as she looked at the boy worriedly. Doing her best not to look at Mizore, Tsurara waited. If she was right, her daughter would easily let the rest of the pieces fall in place automatically.

Mizore chewed her lower lip as she her mind scrambled to figure out ways to help him. Maybe…with them?

"Haha (mother), could he stay with us?" She looked at her mother with begging eyes. Naruto snapped his head up and looked straight at Mizore with shock in his eyes.

Working her grin down, for she had definitely been right, she asked as if she were still mulling the question over.

"Where would he sleep though? We don't have any guestrooms." Tsurara stated _as if _that was their biggest problem.

Her daughter continued to mull her lower lip for a few seconds as she thought hard before an idea formed.

"He could sleep in my room!" She excitedly proclaimed as she furthered her idea. He had just been sleeping in her room earlier to recover anyway, what would be the difference?

Unknown to either of them, Tsurara was contemplating how much she could possibly get away with. Maybe she could say that all the extra futons are in the wash…no…that wouldn't work… Her eyes reflected her mental state - in a faraway world as she thought. Though she quickly reigned herself in and played the act of a thinking and concerned mother for a few seconds.

"For tonight?" Tsurara questioned. From the corner of her eyes she spied Naruto's hesitant look as he stared into his bowl.

"As long as possible…?" Mizore's voice begged her as she tried to emulate a begging puppy.

"I guess that's… fine." She hid some concern in her tone as she turned her head sideways making it feel as though she had really just considered it.

'Let it be known that it_ wasn't _I who refused to offer my room.' She innocently thought to herself as she morphed a mental smirk into a sheepish grin.

If her daughter couldn't find happiness from the village, then maybe from this boy.

"Ano…I'm grateful and all…but I don't want to trouble you…" He whispered softly as he played with the last of his food.

"You won't be a trouble at all Naruto." Tsurara quickly reassured happily as she noticed the sudden panicky her daughter formed.

"But…" He was afraid. His whole life he had never been graced with so much kindness…what if…what if they decided that he was a burden later on…?

"If you really want to, you can help us with our work and chores." Tsurara immediately noted how some of the reluctant look on his face lessened.

"Tha…Thank you…" his voice threatened to break as he fought to keep his emotions from flooding out.

"You're welcome." Tsurara replied gently. As confetti was flying about in her head, congratulating her for a job well done, she couldn't help the small hint of sorrow that lingered.

"Well, if you're done…" Tsurara completed the rest of her sentence with her actions as she got up and collected the empty plates. It was Mizore's cue now. Nodding he pushed his nearly empty bowl to her. It didn't even register to him that that was the first time he had willingly parted with perfectly good food, regardless of how little it was.

"Come." Poked out of his emotional surge, he turned to face Mizore who was happily inviting him to follow, through the constant poking of his shoulder. The excitement flowed off her in waves and somehow, before he even knew it any doubt he had been harbouring had been washed away. With an equally joyous smile forming, he let himself be led by his hand as her fingers wrapped around his.

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Another silent curse. It was the fourth village she had searched. Perched on a thin tree branch, her small form was shadowed by the tree above her. Having white feathers it wasn't hard to blend it with the snow covered tree. Sweeping her eyes over the town as a final chat, she sighed internally as she unsurprisingly found nothing new. This one was again a village of humans. It appears that while there was a large amount of youkai energy in this world, most of the obvious was dominated by humans. Not the mention the numerous amount of youkai barriers that interfered with her sensory abilities. That was also the reason why she had yet to enter any. While a few would have been a simple task, with this many around she couldn't even lock on one exclusively enough to figure out how to penetrate it without possibly warning the youkai within. With a powerful flap of her wings she shot off into the sky. Unseen to anyone else, her white feathers quickly shimmered and changed to that of the sky's constant blue. She could only hope that Kazeshi was having a better time than she.

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The third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, bit down on his pipe as the situation continued to unfold and continued to give him headache after headache.

Immediately after the disaster problem after problem just kept rolling in. When the explosion was finally over he had dispatched almost all of his ANBU to secure the affected area. Then he had to dispatch jounin and chunin to control the civilian population which was faced which much backlash from the civilian council. Finally he had had to dispatch genin to act as scouts around the village.

Even worse was that most of Konoha's economical sector was caught in the explosion. Which meant that not only did he have to borrow funds from the daimyo the village' military would also be badly funded. Furthermore, he wasn't allowed to let his village show weakness. He would have to send his ninja on non-stop missions to ward off aggressive nations as well as to uphold their reputation as the strongest ninja village.

More frustration though was how it was pretty much impossible to find out what caused the disaster as everything near it was literally vaporised.

To add to his list of troubles, came the frustrating matter of the village scapegoat. Naruto Uzumaki's apartment had been caught in the blast and the boy could only be assumed to be dead. His tracking seals weren't responding. He wouldn't be able to use that boy to distract civilians anymore. 'Damn!' It had really become easier with so much of their attention centred on the blasted boy.

'What did I do the deserve this?' thought Sarutobi as he released a sigh through his pipe.

As if just to spite him, his door opened and in came another headache, this one probably about to prove itself worse than all his current ones.

"Hiruzen, what has happened?" Said an old man with only one visible eye and an arm in a cast who had to use a walking stick with his free hand, Danzo Shimura. Behind him two elders, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.

Taking his pipe out of his mouth Hiruzen let out an irritated sigh. He wasn't stupid, far from it. He knew that Danzo probably already knew what had happened but asked anyway, likely to hide the fact that he had a private military force, which much to his chagrin couldn't prove, meaning that he couldn't have the blasted _fool_ sent to death for committing traitorous acts.

"An explosion has wiped out a third of Konoha, the economy sector of the Village is the worst off." He dreaded what they would ask next. It was always such a pain to answer without killing them.

"How could such a thing have happened?" asked Koharu with distaste as a frown could be seen on her face. Like he would know, clenching his fist he forced himself to explain.

"Unfortunately there is still no clear lead on what caused it. The blast incinerated everything and anyone it touched. It is impossible to gather evidence." Hiruzen as he stood up and looked out the window at the crater. A bit further and even he would have been a victim that day. A bit further and he would consider forgoing his Hokage position just to kill those three elders. Heck, he was already considering it.

"ANBU patrols?" asked Homura as he levelled a serious gaze on Hiruzen. After all if the patrols were lacking, then village security was at risk. Which would also explain how something like this happened in the first place.

"Despite all their training, Ninja still have emotions. They had been celebrating the demon bird's and kyubi's defeats and unfortunately grieving over their losses. So much so that they neglected their duties." To anyone else this might have been a simple and straightforward excuse, but to the three other elders in the room the hidden meaning was clear. 'They were all part of the mob attacking Naruto Uzumaki.'

"That's why you should have never disbanded my Root foundation." Replied the assumed ex-leader of Root, Danzo. Hiruzen hated this charade of the old man. He knew and Danzo knew he knew that Root was still active. The only problem was securing the evidence to charge him.

"I will not have my ninja without emotion. Those that lack emotion lack the will of fire. I will not throw away my predecessors teachings and beliefs." Hiruzen looked at the photos of the past two hokage's of the leaf, wishing that they were still alive to deal with this.

"If your nin…"

"We are not going to discuss something that I decided years ago Danzo." Hiruzen cut in. "What are you really here for?" Hiruzen's voice was laced with suspicion as he could already feel his headache worsening.

"What of the Uzumaki? "Asked Danzo.

Hiruzen sighed in annoyance. Danzo had been after the boy from day one. He was pretty sure Danzo knew why too and probably so did the other two elders. His root operatives really were quite capable. Officially kyubi's powers were trapped in young Sago and its soul in Naruto. He was pretty sure Danzo knew the real story. That Sago did indeed hold the kyubi's powers, but the real prize was the Uzumaki child. The child that had the powers of a phoenix.

"The boy's apartment was caught in the blast and he has yet to be found. He is assumed to be dead." A grim line set on Hiruzen's face as he turned around to look Danzo in the eye. It didn't even faze the man. While Danzo's plans for the Uzumaki, whatever they were, were ruined. So was his. Hiruzen clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"So the Uzumaki is missing or dead. This would have never had happened if you just gave me custody of the boy in the first place." Danzo lightly tapped his walking cane on the ground with his one good arm.

"Do not assume that for what proof have _you_ given me that everything would have turned out as you planned? As I'm sure you know though Danzo. Our secondary is still fine. Sago was far from the blast zone. "Hiruzen challenged as he narrowed his eyes. Though the unchanging faces on the elders' faces a testament to their callousness.

"However the fact still is that you lost our greatest opportunity. Your old age has gotten to you Hiruzen. Pick another successor and be done with it." Danzo added.

"At this point picking a new Hokage will not fix anything." Hiruzen evaded the question, another one of many, then he spared a quick glance to the clock. "Now if you excuse I have to go to a meeting. Please leave." With that Hiruzen simply walked past his advisors with heavy steps.

"I believe we have to take things into our own hands seeing that our Hokage obviously cannot solve this in an effective way. He has already lost Uzumaki. It is only a matter of time before Sago is lost under his care as well." Danzo mentioned.

"I agree." Homura stated.

"So do I." Koharu followed.

"When the leaves of a tree are rotten and useless, one has to remove them. For as long as there exists the roots, the tree will recover." Danzo stated with neutrality as he tapped his cane lightly on the ground.

With that the Hokage's advisors marked the turn of their backs to their Hokage. It would be the stone that set far too many other pieces falling. The changes irreversible.

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	4. Family

Disclaimer: I hereby claim that I the author of the fanfic below do not in any shape or form own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Rosario + Vampire and Rosario + Vampire capu2. However the ideas and storyline are mine.

Without further wait...

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**Chapter 4: Family**

"Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related for better or for worse...and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum."  
― Rick Riordan, _The Sea of Monsters_

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Having walked to the end of the short corridor, Naruto followed Mizore as she slid the door open and entered her room. His eyes wandered as he stepped into a part of her life. The room's walls were greyish but far from plain as numerous stalks weaved and flowed along the walls. The colours of the lines gradually changed from the deep ocean blue to the light sky blue as he followed the trail of an individual branch. As he looked about the room, he couldn't help but notice how the room didn't fit the usual descriptions of a girl's room from whispers he had overheard back in the village. The glowing pink flora designs usually mentioned were absent, a bright and open lighting often described was made impossible by a curtain taped over the only window in the room and the typical mass of girly toys and makeup usually said to be omnipresent in a girl's room were missing. If Naruto had to describe it simply, the first word which would come to his mind would be 'plain'. Yet, it probably wouldn't be the word he would use. While the room itself looked empty, almost eerily so, he could feel what he would describe as a welcoming and warm sensation. As he tried to understand why, the first thing his eyes had jumped to was the purple haired girl at one corner of the room.

However his thoughts for understanding were simply lost upon him noting what she was doing. Her small frame bounced up and down the floor, as her short hands tried to grab at something on a top shelf. From where he was standing, he could easily see what laid beyond her reach. Apparently a spare futon was kept there. Before he knew it, a soft laugh left his lips.

Unfortunately for his short-lived humour, it didn't last very long as Mizore suddenly turned around. Her face was flushed and her breathing was heavier than usual, but he could clearly see as confusion was replaced by embarrassment and her eyes stared below his. Her mouth opened and closed several times as rushed counters were stopped from leaving her lips. Eventually though, after a few long awkward seconds for her, an acceptable comeback, in her mind, finally made it out.

"It's not like you can do any better." The taunting whisper floated to Naruto. Her face was schooled while her eyes were levelled at the top of his head.

Still, he heard it and he easily traced her eye direction. "It doesn't make a difference!" Naruto indignantly defended his height, while at the same time internally cursing his own shortness.

Mizore's face expressed shock for the briefest of moments, she hadn't meant for him to hear it, but somehow…this time…she couldn't find it in herself to simply dismiss and ignore him like she had been doing most of her life with so many others. "It does!" Her voice was slightly louder as she set another foot forward and a challenging smirk formed.

"The-then I'll prove it doesn't!" Naruto said as he argued back with a determined look.

Mizore became stumped for a moment, as her smirk wavered briefly, before she pulled herself back together and continued. "You're bluffing!" Mizore hissed out sharply yet softly. She held her challenging gaze, but inside she could already feel a hint of doubt as Naruto's determination didn't falter.

For the first time in her life, some childish pettiness had a chance to show. Acting on impulse she pushed on. "If…if you do I'll do one thing you say, but if you can't you have to admit I'm better." This time she uttered her declaration with an almost normal volume. She clenched her hands to distract herself as her heart jumped – his angry face had morphed into a suddenly devious grin. He wouldn't dare – he couldn't, could he?

Almost like a cat that had already caught its mouse, a sly glint filled his eyes. Before she knew it, Naruto had jumped and to her disbelief, onto the wall where he agilely bounced off toward the top shelf. With an almost graceful form he landed with the futon in his hands.

Mizore took a step back as trivial horror filled her being. Her mouth opened but before anything came out she forced it shut with an almost audible click. Her eyes staring at him in disbelief were torn downwards as she turned her body side-wards. Any anger that might have formed was overwhelmed by the embarrassment filling her.

"Well…Mizore?" Naruto teasingly asked.

"Sh…shut up." She sputtered while she folded her hands and stared at the wall in front of her.

"You have to do one thing I say huh?" Naruto rhetorically sang out.

Mizore tightened her grip around her hands as she frantically shook her head negatively – hopefully.

"Miiizoooreee…" Her name was dragged out on his tongue as he neared her from her back.

"I…I was joking?..?" It was whispered, futilely yet hopeful. Only three seconds later she dropped her head in defeat under his playfully insisting gaze.

"Fine, what do you want me to do...?" She murmured the question.

He placed his index finger and thumb under his chin in a thinking pose as his eyes drifted to the side.

A second, then ten, then twenty passed. A minute, and Naruto started humming softly.

Another minute later and the agonising suspense was finally too much for Mizore. "Say it already!" She hissed, in what Naruto thought was her version of a shout, as she glared into his eyes.

"Smile." He replied without pause.

"What?" Mizore almost stumbled as she took a shocked step backwards.

"Smile?" She tentatively whispered.

"Yeah, smile." Naruto gave one of his own as he confirmed his demand.

"Smile…" Mizore looked down as her fingers played with one another. 'Smile…'…

"Is something wrong Mizore?" Naruto questioned, a hint of worry as genuine confusion showed on her face.

To smile, it wasn't very … usual for her…. She had spent most of her life thus far behind a schooled mask. She had started wearing an emotionless face out of necessity – to maintain some form a sanity from all the glares and prejudice she faced from the village. It was only on rare occasions…occasions where she was with her parents that smiles formed on her face naturally. As far as she knew…she had long forgotten _how_ to smile…how it consciously feel to smile...

Suddenly she froze and her eyes widened, hadn't she also smiled - giggled even, with Naruto earlier?

"Mizore?" She was picked out of her thoughts as a hand landed on her shoulder. Instinctively she immediately ripped her shoulder back away from his hand. Her legs kicked up and her hands raised so that her fingers were pointing toward Naruto. Just as she was about to unleash her ice claws and shoot a few shards she came to a stop. Her eyes met his, blue orbs filled with worry, shock and hidden fear.

Her surroundings abruptly rushed back to her.

Her legs folded. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" she repeated as her eyes looked at him, but averting eye contact. She descended into a blubbering mess as her eyes quavered. It had been far too close…she had almost showed him her powers…

This time, two hands set onto her causing her mouth to still. One on each shoulder as a pair of blue eyes became level with hers.

"Mizore?" He asked again, voice tinged with worry…and remorse. "What's wrong?"

"I…I…" Mizore's mouth was left open as the words failed to form.

She tried a futile attempt to smile, and all she felt was an awkward tugging of her lips.

"I…don't know how to smile…" She closed her eyes. This was it. Naruto wouldn't be her friend anymore – after all,what kind of _freak _doesn't know how to smile? Her fists clenched as small droplets threatened to escape. It wouldn't even be because of her powers this time…

Before her trembling could start, she froze, as her hands were taken and fingers coaxed open. They were held gently, with Naruto's hands over hers.

Her eyes slowly cracked open, then was stunned. She had expected many things, annoyance, pity maybe sympathy…but the face he wore….

His eyes reflected hers, showing her what she had seen in mirrors so many times. He bore a small melancholic smile and his eyes shone with a covered but familiar pain.

"I understand, so you don't need to cry okay?" He squeezed her hands lightly. She sniffed once, then twice, before she leant forward into Naruto, letting herself be wrapped by his comfortable presence.

"Thank you." His fingers traced patterns on her scalp as they danced with strands of her hair, it felt like a soft massage to her. When she had finally muffled her sorrow, she separated. To her confusion she saw a smile on Naruto's face once more, before he pointed a single finger at her - at her face.

She consciously felt her face, before her own hand raised to feel it.

_A smile…_

Without pausing another second she hugged him tight once more with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you…" Her whisper, was deep as her feelings showed.

Second futon long forgotten, they had ended the night together with linked hands as they slept by each other.

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His eyes snapped open. It was just as sudden as the previous time. No warning, no transition just 'pop', he was here. One second he was on a futon trying to sleep after having wished Mizore a peaceful rest and the next he was here before the usual minutes of sleepless thoughts had appeared. However as he took in his surroundings once more, he had to retake his position several times as his eyes slowly widened - some things simply didn't match with his previous experience here.

For one, there was a grassy clearing marked by occasional trees within the cage in front of him. Some of the trees further away towered into the dark abyss above. Yet he could still spot birds elegantly dancing through the air, some near some far.

Another point was a large tree off to the side. Now it might have registered to him as simply part of the forest, but a rather large opening with intricate carvings around it had reduced the chances of it to zero.

Going past the bars without a moment of hesitation, he continued his stroll toward the cave. Though, his surroundings caught his sole attention as the aweing details made him marvel at the simple yet complex beauty in his mind. The gentle flowing water from a river he had just noticed behind a few trees, the crisp fresh air and the expanse of grass swaying from a soft wind. It all seemed breathtakingly real, from the occasional bunny hopping in the tall grass to the flowers decorating the area.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Naruto didn't jump, instead he merely nodded serenely.

"What is this?" Naruto asked.

"This…was my home." Kurama replied wistfully.

"Was?" Naruto was surprised he noted the subtle clue. But then he realised, when he was in his mindscape, his mind was clearer.

The older being was sat on one of the branches on a nearby tree with his back leaned against the trunk and legs hanging in the air. Kurama released a longing sigh as he pointed.

"Take a closer look." Kurama said.

Curiosity filled him and he did as told. Being closer now, he could make out the etched symbols around the entrance easier. They were symbols and pictures of a fox with nine long tails, posed in many elegant manners blended together to create an interweaving art. As his eyes roamed the diagrams, he couldn't help but marvel at the sheer complexity and thought behind the carvings.

'Leader, protector, warrior and friend'. Those were what was described of the fox. However as his eyes moved to the highest point, at the very top, they widened as shock filled his body.

"What?" He helplessly uttered, as his eyes recognised the familiar swirl carved at the top of the arch.

"Do you want to know?" The way the old being had asked, it carried for more weight than mere words could describe.

Naruto looked up at Kurama, body still frozen but eyes locked onto the man. Did he? He closed his eyes, and for a few brief seconds thought. The one thing always constant in his life, it wasn't just his clothes which were never free of the symbol - no matter what he wore they would always appear after some time somewhere. Even more, on rare nights, when he managed to sleep peacefully, they would also appear in his dreams. Yet, he never remembered anything more from those dreams though he was sure every time more hand happened in his dreams. Now he had a clear mind to think, it certainly struck him as odd. He knew it wasn't just a random symbol. It bore much more meaning than that, meaning if he let slip he knew he would regret.

"I…I do." He answered after a brief moment of hesitation.

"Why?" Kurama asked, looking back at him.

His thoughts raced, as they sought a way to explain why. Deep down, somewhere within his soul there was a gnawing need to know – he could feel it. But again, why?

"I want to, no, I need to know Kurama. It's this feeling inside me, I can't explain it." He finished with determination and a sense of lost purpose in his words.

If Naruto's words pleased him, Kurama didn't show it.

"Then may truly be one of them, both in body and spirit." Kurama answered. Before Naruto had another chance to speak, he let himself fall and his legs absorbed the impact of the fall. Straightening himself back up, he held up a hand.

"Come Naruto, come and prove you truly are one of them." Kurama waved at Naruto to follow him, as the old protector made his way to a chamber he never thought he would visit again.

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A minute ago the surroundings had been lively and homely. Warmth, security and love had saturated the first three minutes of his walk into the tree. Old but comfortable looking rugs had graced his feet then and a gentle orange dim had bathed everything before, giving the rooms a cozy feel.

However that had been a minute ago. Now the surroundings were mystical and old. The walls had changed, somewhere some time they had descended into the ground. Undecorated and unrefined stone walls surrounded him and they leaked an ancient sense of power and knowledge. The sheer atmosphere bathing him made him feel like an insignificant speck floating about weightless space. Yet, at the same time it felt right. Like he belonged.

Lost in the feeling, he never noticed when they had reached their destination.

His eyes widened as his mouth opened in silent awe. The walls were covered in vines and underneath green lines extended from then and trailed in specific directions. Criss-crossing them, were golden lines glowing slightly less, but trailed in circular patterns before settling in several golden orbs hanging off the ceiling in seemingly random yet strategic places. Their collective gold glow bathed the chamber and them in a calm glow.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Kurama said softly.

Naruto merely nodded as his eyes moved to the centre of the large cavern. A large circular pattern was carved into the ground there. A pattern familiar to him.

"This place…is a sacred Uzumaki memory hold." Kurama said as he slowly walked toward the centre.

"Memory hold?" Naruto hadn't moved an inch since he had stepped into the cavern. Eyes still roaming the walls and ceiling, mesmerised by the countless other lines glowing every possible colour – more than he could possibly name.

"It keeps a record of Uzumaki knowledge and history, _all_ of the Uzumaki's knowledge and history." Kurama explained, tone underlined with a quiet reverence.

It was at this point the other detail finally struck Naruto. "Uzumaki?" Wasn't it merely a random name he had been given?

"The Uzumaki, you are one of them. Your very being in here proves it. Had you not been one, this scared ground would have killed you within an instant of setting foot in here." Kurama stated with finality, making Naruto taking a silent gulp.

"But you are and as such…" Kurama turned and offered his hand. Now standing at the centre of the Uzumaki symbol carved onto the ground.

Naruto tentatively took small steps towards him, hesitance in each step. From Kurama, his shockingly submissive tone or the very aura of the place he did not know.

"The Uzumaki were masters of the art of sealing, fuinjutsu." Kurama continued softly as Naruto slowly neared.

"They made seals that did things simply impossible. I used to think there was a limit nonetheless…but now…" Kurama's sentence trailed off.

"Now … To think anyone, even _them,_ had managed to do something like this…" Kurama's eyes had left Naruto a long time ago, instead moving across the room in random patterns.

"A single place, kept in a separate pocket dimension accessible only by those it recognises via a simple thought which it can detect regardless of place, even mindscapes." Kurama could feel the power the place radiated from the self-sustaining seals literally replenishing and powering themselves much like a living being. It didn't matter to it how its original and only anchor to a physical dimension at Uzushiogakure had been destroyed, it was still intact. Kurama stopped his awed eyes from wondering any further. An old duty called. Eyes now once more firmly on his charge, he stepped into the ancient seal below them.

**"Uzumaki Naruto."** Naruto's eyes looked deep into Kurama's, as they swirled with an old longing and sense of duty.

**"Do you accept your heritage? To promise to embrace what you are and to accept all that is you from your Uzumaki blood?"** His hand was still extended and his nine tails had extended out, fully extended and swirling behind him. The seal below them glowed, recognising the two and what they were to about to do. Synchronised pulses from every line in the cavern glowed and flowed towards the Uzumaki seal below them, all the colours blending pouring it from perfectly spaced points at the edge. They mixed and swirled, following the carving. As they neared, their colours blended.

**"Will you accept your history and all its knowledge?"** A perfect mix of white had formed right below them at the centre of the Uzumaki seal. At the same time, a white orb formed in Kurama's hand.

The sincerity and hope in Kurama's eyes were naked to him. Naruto's mind, for the first time, focused on a single thing as his mind ran a thousand miles a second.

All his life he had been alone, lost and confused. With nothing but the single primitive need to survive guiding him. However now, now there was a place that belonged to him. Something his, something he was a part off.

Why? No clear definite answer came to mind, all he knew was that something deep within him, ingrained within his very soul for all he knew, called for him to accept. His very being yearned to resonate with what had been presented before his very person, his very soul.

His hand slowly extended, reaching toward the white orb calling for him. There was no room for second thought, nothing could possibly be reason enough to refuse what he wanted, what he _needed._

"I…accept." A soft whisper from his lips, heard not only by his nine-tailed guardian before him, but also the very room he was within.

**"Then as such, take what is rightfully yours, Royal Uzumaki heir."**

As the white light grew brighter, the regular pulses from the room became stronger. Their power was felt as it moved all around them.

Then in a sudden instant, the white light turned golden as a wall of golden energy surged up around them. Kurama's eyes widened in shock as disbelieving realisation shone in his eyes. However it was then, when Naruto's hand firmly covered the light and the chamber was left in darkness.

But as his instinctive and dutiful senses confirmed what he had just seen, a single thought sounded in his mind. 'High phoenix…'

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"Where am I?" The question slipped out of his mouth as he found himself in a foreign place once more. The world around him was a myriad of windows and emptiness.

"Your memory." Naruto's head snapped in the direction of the voice, not having expected an answer.

Upon Naruto's blank face, Kurama continued as he watched the boy look in slight awe and wonder at the sights before him behind the windows, each showing a different memory.

"Normally the Uzumkai memory hold would simply implant basic Uzumaki knowledge and history into your brain. Enough memories to give you a headache but not enough to destroy your mind…" Kurama explained as he worked to remember his now primary duty.

"However, it appears that apart from imparting into you the knowledge, it has also recognised you as a High Phoenix." Kurama explained as he used parts of his powerful mind to sort out the sheer amount of information the blonde had been imparted with.

"High Phoenix…? Naruto asked as he tried the word.

"It means, you are now one of the small handful of phoenixes recognised to be able to go beyond the level of the gods, one of the few destined to lead the Uzumaki."

"What…?"

"As a result, the memory hold transferred all its knowledge into you and normally it would have created a timed seal to stagger how much memories you get as your mind develops to avoid killing you. However since I was here, it invoked one of my dormant instructions. My priority has changed, it is no longer to seek and protect just an Uzumaki, but now it is to be your loyal vassal and one of my main duties now is controlling how much information is implanted into you at once."

"Kurama?" The older being gained a distant look in his eyes as he continued on, ignoring the call.

"Of course this role also comes with a huge load of responsibility as I have to carefully judge how much your mind can handle. Not to mention some of the information is also forbidden to me, appearing as grey windows with but a simply summarising phrase to me. So I'll have to be very careful with filtering those into your mind. Then again however I cou-"

"Kurama!" Naruto shouted at the rambling fox humanoid.

With his mouth hanging open, paused mid-sentence, he was confused for a few moments before he suddenly snapped his mouth shut and a sheepish smile showed.

"Sorry, I tend to get carried away sometimes…"

"So… which parts do you need me to explain?" Kurama asked.

Naruto perked up at the question, as he thought about everything Kurama had said in his continuous speech. As he formed his conclusion, his eyes widened.

"None of them…" He whispered, almost disbelievingly. If the silence that followed was tangible, then the sharpest knife would fail to cut it.

"You…you understood everything I said perfectly?" His question laced with more than a fair bit of incredulity.

"Yep." Naruto topped his response off with a victory sign as he let a satisfied grin slowly show itself on his face. Kurama stared for a few minutes. Before he closed his eyes and seemed to search, movement obvious under his eyelids. It was after another minute of awkward silence for Naruto before Kurama's eyes reopened.

"Unbelievable, the reintegration of your supressed mind is already complete." Kurama stated with hesitant finality.

"Well, everything does feel far clearer now. My thoughts aren't as clouded as they used to be." Naruto said. Then he paused, before his eyes slid off to one side as they gained a distant look. A minute later Naruto had to raise both his hands to nest his head as a sudden headache stabbed at him. And just as quick as it came, it was gone. Leaving behind in its wake a whole range of memories.

"You okay kid?" A steady hand held him by his shoulder as his body slouched.

"I…I thi…I think so." Naruto said at the end as he steadied his woozy vision.

"What just…" The question was stopped halfway as Naruto searched his new memories, eyes wide as flashbacks of pasts he never had played out in his eyes.

"The usual batch of memories. Rest now, your mind will be able to sort them out easier as you sleep." Naruto merely gave a shaky nod.

The world around them morphed again, and in less than a second Naruto found himself on a bed.

"Be careful Naruto. Some of the memories are not pleasant." Naruto couldn't reply anymore, with most of his senses having gone haywire. Soon the world became darkness to him.

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The sun shone brightly and the aroma of freshly watered plant life wafted about the air. Yet beneath the beautiful scent, the lingering taint of blood was everywhere. Sounds, both distant and near, of sharpened metal hitting metal, of refined steel cutting flesh, of fine tips piercing skin. Just below in volume, were the cries of uncountable people, cries born from anguish and cries of soldiers charging into battle.

It was before the hidden villages had been formed. Back when the elemental nations was nothing more than a barbaric wasteland. However within the shroud of unceasing bloodshed and pain, those who wanted otherwise were inevitably born. However, out of the small number who did wish for the fighting to stop, for the loss brought by war to end, even less truly made it far before they were cut down.

Still, there were those who made it, those who attained a measure of their dreams if just small fraction. On a fateful island, a group of such people had met. They were people who had scared souls. Tried and torn by the ceaseless violence of the elemental nations, they learned to turn to only those they trusted, those who had been with them when they were children, when they were weak and when they were in trouble. Hiding on the same island at first as separate groups, they eventually opened up and pooled their talent as inevitable occurrences gifted them their shared experiences. Away from the never ending chaos plaguing the rest of the world, they flourished. They enjoyed food from their farms, friends from those they trusted with all their hearts and love from each other. Eventually, they had become a single family. A family with a sense of loyalty so strong it engraved their mark in the world for generations to come.

But their newfound joy and peace was threatened after only a few quick years. A neighbouring warlord had caught wind of them through his war ships sailing near the island. To the warlord's mind, they were simply more slaves for him to command.

It was small matter of days before those people themselves realised the horrifying news as their fishing boats were sunk by ninja scouts dispatched by the warlord.

A few had almost fallen into despair, but their family spirit held strong. A family of strangers, of lost souls who had come together, their bonds were forged from the harshest of trials. However, fully appreciated their slim chances. They barely made a hundred people, and out of the hundred only nine possessed reasonable decent skills in the ninja arts.

Against an army of shinobi and kunoichi, they stood no chance. Yet they did refused to leave their fates entirely to chance. They took up arms and prepared against the enemy and their support for each other kept infighting minimal. For from their shared experiences through the hells which shaped their lives, they forged a single belief: For family.

As they built rudimentary walls and sharpened pseudo weapons, they cried and cheered. Emotions ran as each day passed, the attack drawing nearer. Every day they prepared, from sunrise and sunset. Every night, their leader raised their morale, be it through exaggerated tales or comedic jokes their old leader always wore a tough smile. He himself wasn't a ninja, but he believed and was believed in, and it was all he needed to lead his family in defending their hearts and home.

Then all too soon, the sunrise marking the day of their trial came. A wall of enemy ships, each flying the warlord's cruel flag had appeared on the horizon, and within an hour they would arrive. Before then though, the fighting had already begun.

A loud explosion marked the arrival of ten enemy ninja. Sent early to devastate their defence and hope. Within the first second, one had already been cut down from a well-placed chakra enhanced arrow released by a defending ninja. That would be the only easy kill they got. Almost immediately after it had become a case of nine one against one matches raging along the coastline. Occasionally they grouped and rethought, before returning to their battles. At the wall constructed a hundred metres back, a line of archers and warriors watched helplessly as their ninja family fought. In a shinobi battle, they would be nothing more than sheep caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sadly, a quarter hour later and their ninja were on their last legs. Having been away from battle from years, they were no match for ninja who were still in touch with their skills. In a show of devastating cruelty, all nine were paralyzed by poisoned senbon and lined up. As some realised what was about to happen, their emotions overtook as they charged regardless of the enemy ninja. To their pain, their arrows and frantic slashes blocked by a simple barrier technique.

As planned by the warlord, his ninja held the nine defenders upright and clearly to the rest who could only watch with tearing eyes. A lead enemy ninja had taken his cue to announce the execution of those who dared defy their lord and master. With a cruel glint he pointed at the defender furthest to the right and ordered the first death.

Unknown to all who had been on the ground, four ancient beings had been watching. Four phoenixes, the last of their kind awake, who had been watching from the very day the people below them who were currently crying and shouting had set foot on the island. Undiscovered by the island's inhabitants, was a volcano hidden deep within the island's forests which housed the four phoenixes. Within the volcano was their chosen final site of rest. They had been among others of their kind, from the time they together with twenty other phoenixes had chosen the volcano to be their final site of rest. A phoenix was an immortal bird of fire, never able to die. As a consequence, when a phoenix reached a certain point in its life when it no longer has ties to the waking world, they are able to enter their final sleep. Their version of death, as they simply let themselves stay unconscious indefinitely and likely forever. However, a family of four phoenixes had never been able to. Among others of their kind they had tried and tried countless times. But every time they were cursed with sleeplessness. They thought they no longer had ties to the world, but no matter how much they wished it, their final sleep never came.

So when the day came when numerous humans set foot on their island they had chosen to ignore, believing they, like the uncountable others they had observed, would eventually kill each other off. But as time passed, they who had the power to observe undetected and sense feelings to certain extents, became surprised. They had become intrigued and curious – humans who could tolerate each other for decades weren't impossible, but humans who had no such motives and had not a shred of murderous taint… That caught their attention. So they decided to watch, and they watched as the humans who had found their resting place be wary of each other. To their increased delight and interest, it wasn't long before the humans had formed bonds with one another, as they helped, supported and cherished each other. More than once they had disguised themselves as random people to experience what they had created. Before they knew it, they had formed another bond to the world.

When they day came when what they had started to love became threatened by a greedy animal, they had become angered. However they resisted and decided to watch, for as much as they had seen and understood of the unique people of their island, they had no way to be sure even such people would see them as anything more than monsters or weapons.

Yet, try and they had, they couldn't help themselves. So they had reasoned against themselves again and again. Eventually they settled on their final conclusion: If not for what they cherished, then for what was worth protecting.

As the killing blow descended a chilling voice held them all in their places. A voice which came from all directions at once, declaring the enemy ninja as vile creatures and promising protection to those deemed worthy.

Right before their eyes, four pillars of fire descended from the sky. One pillar incinerated the enemy ninja in position to deal the death blow, two incinerated the two who maintained the barrier and a final one between the lead enemy ninja and the mass of people who gained hopeful eyes.

Four ancient beings of fire had made their presence known. Four immortal birds of fire. The last family of phoenixes had found something worth protecting.

The lead ninja only had enough time to utter a question halfway before he suddenly found himself missing a head. Before the people's shocked eyes, unbelievably accurate rays of fire had emerged from seemingly nowhere and shot from head to head leaving six dead bodies to fall lifelessly onto the bloodied sand.

With the immediate threat settled, three flew up into the sky in a majestic display of power as fiery trails were left in their wake. The last turned his back to meet the group of people huddled behind him. In a simple show of trust, the form of a yellow bird vanished as it was replaced by the body of a man. The man's hand was outstretched and his eyes glided over the people before they settled over their leader. To his satisfaction, while it had taken them a few seconds to compose themselves, when they had, their trusted leader had stepped up to meet him without a hint of fear in his strides. With a firm shake of hands, he turned around once more and guided their attentions to the enemy ships which had gotten closer.

Suddenly three gigantic forms of fire formed in mid-air, each the shape of a phoenix with glowing eyes that penetrated the enemies' souls. In a show of speed, the three fiery forms took off and spun in circles all over the area. Before they suddenly gained a slightly more solid form and plunged into the water. The enemy ninja with rebreathers below the water had no chance as super-heated water rose and cool water sunk forming powerful currents which gave birth to gigantic whirlpools. They were doomed in their watery graves as the ships above were sunk with streams of unadulterated fire. Within a matter of minutes, every enemy met the bottom of the ocean.

The people on the island watched in hope and relief as tears and cries of joy arose. Happily announcing their thanks toward the four humanoid but not human beings who now floated before them. It was then the four otherworldly beings allowed their smiles of happiness and joy to show.

That day marked the beginning of the Uzumaki. As they phoenixes guided the people, thought them and protected them. They made experiences with the people as equals, as teachers and eventually as leaders. The day they finally made official their intention to stay permanently, tears of joys had been shed as celebrations lasted days. On the last day, they had named themselves and given themselves a banner to follow. Their flag, was made in respect of the beings who had been their hope and saviours. A flag that bore a swirl and people covered within the outlines of beautiful birds, to represent how they had been saved and to symbolise their society and family.

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As Naruto experienced the memories his mind were sorting, his protector, Kurama sat beside him as similar memories flashed before his mind. His interest had been piqued, for despite knowing the history the boy was currently sorting, he had only ever been told through words and pictures. The sensations he felt from the implanted memories were another thing all together. Even he had to release an awed whistle, for his family had definitely outdone themselves. Truly, he had never expected such things to be possible with seals despite all the world-shattering experiences he had already had with them in his long life.

His eyes gained a distant look as he thought back to his transformation. He had been the leader of the nine ninja that fateful day. When years later he and the other eight had been offered the chance to protect what was most important to them by their saviours, he had barely hesitated. Millennia later, now, his satisfaction and joy he gained from protecting his family had not dimmed in the slightest. Being the strongest of the nine before their transformations, he had again been the most powerful after they had been turned into youkai. He had become a nine-tailed fox demon and the others had become other demons with a decrease in number of tails for every consecutive transformation. He had been given his eternal task by the first royal head of the Uzumaki. The same being who had created the Uzumaki memory hold and started its use. He had been thought many things about the memory hold, but much had been general. The special bits he had ever known included the secondary task of the hold to recognise High phoenixes, one of which had been its creator. Another special task he had been given was the one he was performing now, to nurture and guide a High phoenix should and when another is recognised.

Right then, a small smile formed on Kurama's face as he looked over the boy in his care, before a smirk half formed – The world was about to be reminded of the tenacious persistence of the Uzumaki

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All throughout the old Uzumaki home, Uzushiogakure, old weathered swirls covered by growing greenery glowed. Ancient torches around a scared Uzumaki ceremonial site lit up with magnificent golden flames. What was left of the ruined defence perimeter shined as light was bent and redirected. For just a few minutes, the presence of the destroyed village made itself known once more, as a faint impression of it in its glory showed.

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As if an unseen signal had instructed him to do so, he paused. Head snapping in another direction. His short red hair stood proudly on his head, shielded from the windy elements by an aura he emitted. Not nearly as tidy was his greyish shirt with white trims, silver strips running down the sides and sleeve endings in a dull but strong gold colour. The collar was white and there was a phoenix emblem on the front of his shirt matched with a red swirl on the back. His pair of black pants, with dark blue tones spaced out evenly on each side running the length of his pants, were bent as he had stopped mid-crouch.

Normal vision blinded by the blizzard, he sent a small trickle of his power to his eyes for a special technique. Soon the world appeared in a different set of colours for him – where blue symbolised cold and red showed heat. Focusing his youki in his eyes, he view places within and beyond the blizzard as he attempted to locate the signal that had called him.

A minute later he simply sighed in disappointment. It had been too brief and too small to lock onto accurately. Not to mention he had felt a large barrier obscuring the signal. Nonetheless he swiftly altered his course for the general direction he sensed the signal from. The pulse of energy, as minute as it had been, had resonated with his own energy signature; probably why he had felt it in the first place. It didn't just call to his senses on a superficial level like many he had encountered throughout his long life, but on a level which shouted to the very depths of his being. It was more than enough of a reason for him to believe he had finally gotten a clue to where he had to look.

Though, something gnawed at him. A feeling which felt familiar… It was… _disturbingly_ so, but shaking his head slightly in annoyance, he shrugged off the odd feeling and pinned in to the bad weather.

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	5. A Change

A/N) My writing isn't perfect and I read a lot too. When reading my work, if they are portions where you automatically start skimping through, please leave a review or PM me about it. It will help me clean up and prevent excessive description in my writing. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I hereby claim that I the author of the fanfic below do not in any shape or form own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Rosario + Vampire and Rosario + Vampire capu2. However the ideas and storyline are mine.

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**Chapter 5: A change**

"You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness."  
― Jonathan Safran Foer

_._

_._

_._

Tsurara walked quietly but swiftly. Past a turn and right to her daughter's room. Smoothly sliding one door to the side without sound her sharp eyes narrowed on the source of the strange energy. There had been a small spike in youki, not large enough to alarm anyone else in her village. Before it lowered and tapered off to a ridiculously small leak. Straining her senses she had traced it to the young boy she had welcomed into her home just hours ago. With worry for her daughter, her actions were guided by urgency. Eyes moving sharply to where her daughter usually slept, she let out a sigh of relief as she confirmed her daughter's peacefully sleeping form. However her eyes quickly narrowed as she eyed the boy beside her.

Despite the faint glow on his hand, Naruto seemed to be well asleep. In the shape of a yellow bird-like creature framed by a circle, the mark on his hand radiated the energy she had been following. Keeping the glow within her thoughts, her hearing registered his breathing. Her worry extended to him as she observed his heavy breathing and flushed face. Then another point made her pause. Sweat coated his face… That made no sense.

As far as her sensory ability could tell, Naruto was a fire-based youkai, and a very strong one too if his passive energy signature was anything to go by – just a little had allowed him to melt her ice. So from what she knew of fire-type youkai, they were _never_ too hot, much like how as a yuki-onna she was never too cold…normally.

Sure it would be an amusing memory one day, she extended her hand to the side and took a hold of the bowl her daughter had used earlier in the day. It had humoured her enough, as she watched her urgently daughter try to bring down what she had assumed was a fever from the boy not knowing he was naturally warmer.

Dipping a finger into the bowl she swirled her finger in random patterns as the towel her daughter used earlier slowly wrapped around her digit. With barely a thought she cooled the water to just above its freezing point.

"Haha?" Slowly squeezing the towel to rid it of excess water she gently met Mizore's sleepy eyes.

"What are you doing?" Her daughter asked from behind Naruto on her futon.

"Trying to bring down Naruto's fever dear." Tsurara said as she laid the cold cloth across Naruto's forehead.

Her daughter sat up sharply. "Wasn't he okay already?"

"His fever just started actually, he wasn't feverish this morning. Look at the sweat." At Mizore's confused gaze she continued.

"Naruto is a fire-type youkai. He's naturally warmer than us and most youkai. However the fact that he is currently sweating means he _is_ actually too warm... somehow." The last bit Tsurara murmured to herself. Taking in her mother's words quickly, she looked and confirmed for herself his sweat, with the glowing mark on his hand barely catching her attention.

As a minute passed, Tsurara quirked an eyebrow as her daughter started to fidget with her eyes locked onto Naruto's form. Then she watched through curious eyes as her daughter tentatively laid a hand on Naruto's cheek. Though she kept herself silent, she couldn't help but let her curiosity as well as some amusement grow as she watched how Mizore weakly drew her hand back before conflicting emotions became obvious on her face.

"His temperature needs to be lowered right?" Her voice was soft, more so than usual.

Tsurara contemplated her daughter's words and actions carefully. There was something in her words, something just out of her grasp, but she couldn't pin it down.

"Yes." She answered.

Mizore stared intently at Naruto. The small frown etched on his face, his audible tense breaths, and the few strands of his hair stuck to his face due to his sweat… Mizore chewed her bottom lip.

Tsurara watched with no small amount of surprise and shock as her daughter shyly crawled over onto Naruto's futon and hugged him. With her hands wrapped around him, she pressed herself against his warm body.

But despite her initial thoughts, the only visible reaction she had made was widening her eyes, as she blinked to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Ignoring her insinuating emotions, she forced her observations through rational thinking.

A mere three seconds later she had to resist the urge to slap herself in the face. A yuki-onna's body was naturally cold… Letting a soft smile play onto her face, she tapped her daughter gently on the shoulder.

"Don't push it if you feel too warm okay?"

"Ha…hai…" Mizore stuttered softly, her reddening face hidden downwards.

Tsurara chuckled softly, before refreshing the towel. Sitting patiently beside them, her daughter's lowered and soft breathing eventually became heard.

Unseen by Mizore, Tsurara saw how Naruto's features slowly relaxed as a quarter of an hour passed. Shifting into a more comfortable position, Tsurara watched, with a soft smile, the sleeping children before her as the faint rays of moonlight from the only window in Mizore's room gave the room the softest of glows.

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Having an artificially enhanced mind, extensive training and many millennia of experience, Kurama could easily boast to have one of the most developed minds in the world. Able to work on multiple things simultaneously with perfectly separate portions of his mind. While delegating some of his attention to beef up the Naruto's mental defences until he learnt how to do it himself, he also had part of his mind experiencing the memories the boy's brains were sorting. As if doing those two tasks and occasionally guiding the boy's mental processes was not enough, Kurama had also spared some of his attention to scan the boy's body for problems.

As it had turned out, the Uzumaki memory hold had seals ridiculously powerful, if he hadn't believed before he wouldn't be able to now, for some of them had been ludicrously so, with him having sensed the Reaper's seal binding him be altered and some portions of it completely overwritten or destroyed. He could hardly imagine it, much more believe it even as he confirmed what had happened. His family had made _seals_ which surpassed a _god's_ - he still had a hard time believing.

Being recognised as one of The Nine Guardians, the Uzumaki hold memory had in the most basic of terms assigned him as the boy's personal _guardian angel_. The modified Reaper's seal now allowed him limited access to the outside world, meaning he could leave the boy's body as he wished with the only restrictions being any Naruto felt like setting. The new seal also allowed him to wander the boy's mind freely with the forbidden areas being the boy's personality, personal memories and a vault which contained implanted memories he was not privy to.

As the scan of the Naruto's body finished, Kurama sighed tiredly. Having done a scan as thorough and as seriously as he could, he had found that his previous uncaring observations of the boy's health in the years before when he viewed Naruto as a mere jailer seemed _trivial _in comparison. The years of abuse had done far more than he had anticipated. Even with his phoenix heritage having been unleashed, there was only so much it could do for a body which had never been developed properly in the first place. The damage had been part of the boy's whole life, and it was horrible and normally unhealable - Natural healing would never fix all of it.

Though, Kurama had seen and treated worse in his long life. The challenge to him now was how to work out the kinks and rusts that had settled into his techniques over centuries of inactivity. Besides having been separated from his power for eight years only to have it all flooded back into him at once by the vault when it sensed his stolen supplies had not done wonders for him. His control was wrecked for one, not horribly so but rather in an annoyingly irritating way. He'd probably also need a few days before he would be able to cope comfortably with his large stores once more.

Letting his eyes shut, he shifted positions. With an ancient tire stemming from his bones, he let his focus wander inwards. Slowly extending his control over all his power he gently guided it. Moulding it and channelling it in practiced patterns as he allowed himself to sink into the feel of his power. A mere moment later, his eyes snapped open before he directed his youki to begin healing the boy. The first thing on his list was the boy's malnourished and underdeveloped body. Sending his youki into bones, muscles and fat he let his youki take hold and charge the boy's cells. Pausing a few other mental tasks he had been doing, he diverted more of his mental resources until a third of his mind was focused on the healing.

At the thought, he let out a smirk. _How many other beings can claim to only need a third of their minds to heal a person's body at this level? _Kurama thought rhetorically.

Even for a small body, there were already tens of trillions of cells - a lot of cells which needed his attention. He wasn't _merely_ promoting cell division and growth either. No, he was doing something far more advanced. Giving each cell _separate_ attentions allowed him to reprogram them and get them to do what he needed them to do. It was like how the organs worked, groups of specialised tissue and cells working with other organs to keep a system functioning. Except, he could change the tasks of each special group of cells as he needed.

But then, as immersed as he was in his tasks, a small tingling was still noticed to him. Without pause in his healing, he tapped into his still not fully utilised mind. Barely any effort was needed on his part to make a mental copy of him appear, a manifestation of his mind's resources to allow him to focus on separate tasks easier. Moving without so much as a word the copy made its way to the Naruto's sensory centre to investigate, walking past dozens of other copies along the way with a small self-satisfied grin etched on its face.

Entering the room representing the boy's sensory centre. The copy had had no need to do anything more than feel what the boy's senses felt as the grin on his face became full blown.

Tsurara wasn't the only person that night to witness the scene in a particular yuki-onna's bedroom.

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His senses returned to him slowly. A faint headache graced his head but it stayed for only a second. Opening his eyes he fully expected the scarce walls of his broken home, before his memories of the past day returned. A thankful smile played on his lips. However, to his confusion when he tried to move his leg slightly, he met resistance. Immediately worry and doubt shot across him as his eyes darted to his leg.

Then, he simply stared, as confusion fleeted about his face. _Why… were there limbs around his body? _Naruto asked himself as he now clearly felt two arms underneath his and around his torso. This was also the same moment when he realised there were strands of purple hair strewn across his vision. Trailing those strands, he craned his neck to his left and he inevitably met Mizore's face. Her breathing tickled his face softly, her hair brushed his gently.

'Ahh…it's just Mizore.' He thought sleepily.

Breathing lightly, the faint fragrance of blueberries wafted to his senses. As he laid there, without a thought in his head, it was like a dream to him. Contentedly, he didn't feel his own body twisting subtly before his hands wrapped around Mizore like she did him. Slowly his eyes drifted shut before he regained some semblance of sleep.

**'****Naruto.' **A heavy voice suddenly said.

'Kurama?' He thought with sudden mental awareness.

**'****Yes.' **The now identified voice said as deeply as it had the first time.

Naruto opened his mouth, but before a word came out he paused. A second later she slowly let his lips shut.

'You can hear my thoughts right?' Naruto asked, having come to his own conclusion thanks to a sharper mind.

'**Obviously. It also seems to me you're already reaping the benefits of a single focused mind.' **Kurama replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

'Okay…' Naruto replied.

'**Anyways, as you slept I discovered a few things you will want to take note of.' **Naruto's eyebrow hitched.

'**First of all, about the repair of your mind. They are now merged, so you will be able to use your mental resources as a whole.'**

**'**Meaning what exactly?' Naruto asked.

'**Meaning before, when you had a split and blurred personality, your mental power was always split between them but now it's all focused. Also since whatever mental development you made as a child was always suppressed by the seals, your mind kept trying to develop what it thought it hadn't developed yet, with most of the development being constantly pushed to your real suppressed personality. So your basic mental abilities, such as the capacity to remember, is actually far more developed than the average person.' **To Kurama it was like carving a foundation multiple times repeatedly until no matter what you built on top of it would be able to be supported. He was familiar to such a notion, having gone through a similar exercise before, but with an already developed mind to build up his mental capacities.

**'**Ahh…' Naruto said, not sure how he was supposed to react.

'**Apart from that you will also want to be careful for a while.' **Kurama warned abruptly.

'What?' Naruto asked with his utmost attention.

'**While your true personality has been retrieved, you have to remember, the mask blurring it before was created by your true mind to hide behind. The mental repair you went through merely separated what was true and what was false, it didn't merge your two personalities.'**

**'**What? So I still have split personalities?' Naruto asked, dumbfounded.

'**No. To put it simply, you had started thinking your mask was who you truly were. So your mask became a new personality which competed with your original one causing your mental abilities to be split. However when the suppression seals were taken off, your original personality was no longer hindered and with what I suspect was healing from the Uzumaki Memory hold, your mind was able to realise that your mask was just that, a mask, a manifestation and tool of the original personality.' **Kurama explained.

Naruto's guardian paused. As he listened intently in his mind, he heard what he thought was a loud breath of air being inhaled then exhaled.

'**While you are no longer in danger of losing yourself to your mask. Your mask, no matter how you look at it, was created by you to protect you. So don't panic or become lost in confusion when you suddenly find yourself instinctively wearing a mask, and since your mind is now clear, when you do wear your mask, you will be conscious of it. So don't worry too much.'**

**'**Oh…'

'**One final point, I'll be repairing your body and making it what it should have been without all the malnourishment and abuse you went through. To help in the process I'm going to need you to eat a wider variety of healthy foods.'**

**'**Okay…' Naruto thought weakly, unsure.

'**…****You do know you can try asking the snow woman who took you in right?'**

**'**Ehh…I forgot…' Naruto said sheepishly.

Normally Kurama would have made a joke or at least a playful insult, but within the seal, his eyes softened with a sliver of sorrow.

**'****It's fine… I'll be sleeping soon. I've been working the whole night.' Kurama said.**

'Sleep well…and thank you**' **Naruto thought to him softly.

His mind became quiet once more, and his surroundings slowly registered to him again. Then a soft squeak reached his ears followed by a sudden brush of air against his cheeks. Confused, he let his eyes open.

His breathing ceased. He couldn't feel hers anymore either.

His blue eyes looked into her purple ones, as they stared in blank shock at each other. His mouth parted slightly but no sound came. Their arms were still wrapped around each other, neither daring to move an inch. For what felt like forever, they simply looked into each other, occasionally feeling a light breath of the other.

Then a sudden smile appeared on Mizore's face. "Ohayo Naruto-kun."

What followed was a thick silence. Then, in less than a second Naruto had his back pressed to the wall.

"Wha…what WHAT!" He exclaimed as an accusing finger pointed.

Suppressing a flinch down, she replied. "I was trying to keep you cool."

"Huh?" His mask wouldn't let him think.

"Don't you mean warm?" Naruto asked.

Mizore shook her head side to side. "No, I mean cool, you had a fever last night."

"Ehh?" Naruto touched his forehead.

"I did?" Naruto was confused, as far as he remembered he had never fallen sick.

"Yes you did Naruto, and Mizore kindly helped lower your body temperature." Tsurara said as from the door.

"So that's why she was sleeping with her hands around me?" Naruto asked while shaking his head. Kurama had been right, while it no longer fought to be _him,_ it was still something ingrained into him, a tool that his mind would instinctively use.

"Wait a minute…doesn't hugging together keep warmth?" The morning calming, he managed to focus, to bring the world back into view. The mask was scary, it had taken over him, clouded his thoughts.

"We're yuki-onna. We naturally have cooler bodies and we have power over ice, though our young, like Mizore, don't develop their powers until later." Raising a hand she formed a snow ball, but her eyes glanced to Mizore's.

"That's also why we live in cold places like where we are now, on top of a mountain." She added, seemingly half-heartedly.

"It doesn't feel that cold." Naruto held out a hand and waved it in the air.

If he hadn't been looking at her at that exact moment, he was sure he would have missed it. A mischievous almost devilish glint that had sparked in her eyes before they were replaced by her usual look.

"That's because you're wearing one of Mizore's insulated kimonos." She finished, just a bit too sweetly. Naruto's inquisitive face became flushed. Tentatively he eyed himself as if to check. It was mainly grey with some white areas.

"We normally wear such clothing to keep the cold in, but it helps for your case too." Naruto nodded warily, before he glanced at Mizore, who had the slightest hint of pink on her cheeks.

"Ah…kaasan, what about those clothes from the ski resort?" Mizore asked.

"Hmm, we do have some male clothing there. We could head there after breakfast I guess? Unless, you like to stay in her clothes Naruto?" That got her a sputtering reply quickly, together with two red faces. A smirk played onto her face.

Naruto nodded furiously, he wasn't sure if his voice wouldn't betray him. Apart from Naruto, Tsurara didn't miss her daughter's uncomfortable fidgeting.

'So easy to play.' Tsurara thought with a mental snicker before she left the room.

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Her eyes were locked onto him with no small amount of reluctance. As he moved closer to the door, her mind raced faster. Then, she couldn't take it any longer.

"Mizore?" She stood with her back to the door, front facing him.

"What are you doing?" She hid her cringe. She could feel his questioning eyes digging into her, and for a moment, she just wished he would understand.

"Musume?" Her mother's hand landed on her shoulder. Instinctively she met her mother's face. She nudged her head down slightly. Worried, her mother bent down. Swallowing stiffly, leaned forward till her mouth was right beside her mother's.

She did not like the smile that formed on her mother's face. Her mother was plotting, she was sure of it.

"Naruto, would you mind if you stayed here while we go get some clothes for you?" Tsurara

"Why? And won't you need my sizes?" Naruto asked, as Mizore stood behind her mother, half her face covered.

"Ahh, that's true, but…" A sudden tug stopped her. Pausing for just a moment, she patted her daughter on the head. It was easy to ignore her daughter's accusing and horrified eyes.

"Mizore's embarrassed that people might realise you're in her clothes." Mizore stopped. Tiny fists mid-way to her mother's back.

_'__What?'_ Mizore mother's hand gently ruffled her hair.

"That won't be a problem." His confident smile was matched with his hands moving into a familiar gesture. Before Tsurara could ask a small plume of smoke erupted.

Twitching ever so slightly, her eyes narrowed. Then Naruto reappeared, but clad in a grey shirt and black pants. Tsurara hummed her interest.

"An illusion? She felt only the barest traces of youki from him. Her interest was piqued. With her sense she felt what was like a shell of diluted youki coating the boy. The same kind of energy she felt in humans but in a much larger amount. There was no fire youki present used in the technique at all.

"Nope. It's solid." A very condensed shell, Tsurara corrected herself.

Mizore inched out from behind her mother, then she poked. She poked again, then a third time. "Can you turn into other things?" Mizore asked. "Like a girl?"

Confused by her, he simply shrugged before forming the handsigns once more. A similar plume of smoke, then before Mizore stood a brunette of similar height in her kimono.

"Hu-urk" Mizore poked him again, this time on his cheek.

"Now now, that's enough." Tsurara chided light as she pulled her inquisitive daughter back by the scruff of her neck.

Pushing the door open she quickly nudged the two out. Around them was just the snowy tundra apart from the faint footpath that led down the small mound where their house was. Her house wasn't exactly close to the village…one of the conditions set for her daughter.

Shaking such thoughts away, she picked up a bag outside the door.

"Now then Naruto, do you know how to ski?" Tsurara asked.

"No."

"We'll have to give you a crash course then." Tsurara grinned as she pushed a pair of ski poles into his hands. Producing snow rafts were always tiring.

He hummed his alarm as they worked effortlessly. With no say he simply stared in wide eyes as his feet were quickly strapped to a pair of skis before he could react.

"Wait wait! I still don't know how to ski!" Already, the significantly reduced friction caused him to start sliding. Frantically trying to shove at least one ski into the ground to halt his movement he only succeeded in accelerating his unstable dance.

He came to an abrupt stop as one hand steadied him by grabbing onto the back of his kimono while two smaller hands latched onto his wrists.

"I won't let you fall." Mizore whispered with determined eyes. In his messy female form, he could only return with a weak smile. With only her hand left on his left, squeezed his fingers again around the ski poles.

"Ready?" Mizore had moved to his left with her body facing sideways. He would have nodded then, had a thought not suddenly struck him. Eyes darting sideways he noticed ice forming rapidly under her feet. Behind them, Tsurara had a hander extended towards the ground near Mizore's feet.

"Stay in front of me Mizore." Tsurara said from behind. She was replied with a nod from her daughter.

"Yes." He said. He was met with a smile. Then, he was off, leaving behind a shrill scream that fitted his form. His first instinct made him close his eyes in fright.

"Naruto, eyes to the front." A squeeze on his hands brought him out of his panic. He was breathing too quickly he realised, before he consciously forced himself calm. As his surroundings sped past him, his survival instincts quickly understood that the girl holding his hand had far more experience than he did. So without any argument of his part, he quickly dedicated himself to follow her instruction as strongly as he could.

As seconds passed, he slowly built confidence. Eventually enough to somewhat enjoy the experience. The wind that brushed past him was cool and refreshing, and the rush he felt only magnified his wonder as little details became known. Turning his head slightly he looked at Mizore's face full of concentration. Yet the gently nudges he felt from her hand ever so often to alter their course didn't fit that of a panicking or even stressed person. Closing his eyes for a moment, he immersed himself just briefly.

Behind them Tsurara laughed softly to herself. Perhaps she would have made a better teacher… she thought, softly snickering. For while she could safely say that her daughter could handle snowboarding, Mizore didn't have the experience she did. It obvious that Mizore had miscalculated how much of a drag Naruto would be when they had suddenly sped off.

Then her eyes locked onto the path in front of them in fright, her daughter was far too focused on Naruto.

She opened her mouth to remind her daughter, but it quickly became a shout. Mizore had obviously seen the bump, Tsurara had seen her daughter's head turn slightly in its direction, but Mizore had assumed it was just a small bump of snow with most of her attention on Naruto. It hadn't been.

"Mizore!" Naruto's head turned. The jutting rock had pierced her snowboard splitting it into numerous fragments of ice. In a split-second, he let the ski pole go and reversed the grip on his left hand.

"Naruto, watching your front!" Tsurara's voice made his head swerve to the front. Then his eyes widened.

Rapidly approaching, was a large flattish rock, curved slightly upwards. Blood pumped furiously through his veins, and in a single decisive movement he jumped.

It all happened before Tsurara had a chance to catch up to them. Naruto landed on the rock, then his momentum carrier him up and over. The extra weight Mizore caused made Naruto turn. Mizore herself was pulled up and into the air as her frightened hands scrambled for a hold.

Mid-way through an unintentional spin, Naruto had a second to watch Mizore as she flew. At once, her fearful face made his mind speed to a hundred miles a second. With a rapidly hardening face, he released the other ski pole in his right hand and grabbed Mizore's. The extra load he grabbed slowed his spin just enough to right his direction as his skis landed back onto the snowy ground. A second later the rest of Mizore's body landed onto his back.

As astounding and magical the feat had appeared to Tsurara, there still remained a problem. Not only was Naruto unskilled, the loss of both his ski poles also meant that he could forget about control. Her arms and legs were coiled tightly around him, her blood still rushing from her cooling panic. Naruto's call brought her eyes back into focus. Instinctively she raised a hand, but then her blood froze.

_She wasn't supposed to have her powers yet…_

Her mind ran, should she reveal her powers?

_And lose him?_

_NO!_

_But if she didn't… _

She breathed a thankful sigh.

Her mother had come to her rescue. Her painful train of thoughts ceased and she let her hand fall in relief. The obstacles in their path were swiftly cut down by her mother's deadly ice claws. Slowly, her heart calmed. With Naruto's hand holding her up by her thighs, she loosened her stiff grip as she leaned into him.

At some point in the fiasco, Naruto had lost control of his transformation technique, but Mizore didn't care anymore. Their little thrilling adventure had caused them to avoid the main village entirely, taking a far longer route around it. Even if Naruto was seen with her later at their ski resort, she could easily pass it off as helping her mother with work – simply attending to a human customer. No one would question anything.

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"Mizore, wake up." Shaking the girl gently, she mumbled an unintelligent murmur.

"Mizore." Naruto repeated. After the adrenaline rush had left his body, the soreness in his feet and arms had quickly made themselves known.

"Mmmm?" Her eyes creaked open sleepily.

"We're at the ski resort." Awareness returned reluctantly to her. _But he's so comfortable…_ Her eyes suddenly shot up. Where did that thought come front?

Three seconds later, her training kicked in. Grounding any further thoughts of the like, she carefully climbed off Naruto.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Naruto paused, receiving gratitude was foreign for him, what was he supposed to do? He returned with awkward smile. "It wasn't a problem."

No reply, and it had been at least a full minute. Naruto felt a small surge of worry – had he done something wrong?

"Err… it was fun?" Naruto mentally slapped himself, his voice had raised unsurely at the last second. His mouth opened to literally shoot off a hundred apologies, when Mizore suddenly stammered.

"I…I had fun too." Naruto stared, silently for a second, before a huge grin broke out on his face. Then he couldn't help but laugh.

"Ehh!? Ah!" Mizore's hand gripped him tightly, holding him in place lest he slide any further. Shooting her a sheepish but thankful smile, he reached down. Fumbling with the straps holding him to the skis, he dislodged them with a sudden urgency. His shaky fingers underlining just how much the fun had also scared him.

Mizore looked around, and mouthed a thanks at her mother. They were at the back entrance and no one else was in sight. Past the door Tsurara was directing employees away with numerous instructions and reasons.

Slipping her hand into his, he led him into the resort. Evading workers and customers alike as discreetly as possible. As focused as she was on avoiding detection, she didn't notice the thoughts displayed on Naruto's face.

It had been curiosity at first, as she pulled him along while looking around suspiciously. Occasionally they had ducked behind furniture, other times she had nudged him behind walls.

Then he had decided that it was like a game, and with his tested stealth skills he had been almost like a shadow. He was pretty sure that more than one person had looked Mizore with questioning eyes, yet they never seemed to notice him despite them holding hands.

"Here." His eyes flickered to the sign, a changing room? It was then he remembered his purpose for coming and a blush snuck up on him once more. He became uncomfortably conscious of the clothes on him. How every movement he made caused the fabric brush against him. Even the gentle caress of the soft material on his chest as he breathed became unbearably _embarrassing._

Sooner rather than later, for which he was glad, she had pushed him into the changing room, knocking him out of his distressing thoughts. Then she handed him a set of clothes. His hand instinctively reached for the sash, but then he paused, remembering something. Lifting his eyes up for but a moment, he became redder.

Shuffling his feet nervously, he glanced up briefly again. There had been a confused look on her face, mixed with no small amount of worry. Swallowing, he tried to ignore his flustering emotions.

"Mizore, could you leave?" forcing himself to meet her face, he barely kept his blush from deepening. It didn't help when her face suddenly turned red too. He watched, as she hurriedly exited and closed the door.

As his fingers tentatively reached for the sash again, his fingertips jolted slightly. His hands were shaking again as his heart raced, except this time it wasn't from adrenaline or fear. He was uncomfortable as he undressed, as every drag and touch of her kimono was accentuated and felt. The sounds he made doing so, had only served to share his awkwardness to the furiously burning yuki-onna on the other side of the door.

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Advice on writing is always welcome.


	6. Confessions

A really severe lack of time. Sorry.

Derp…

Cheers :D

Disclaimer: I hereby claim that I the author of the fanfic below do not in any shape or form own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Rosario + Vampire and Rosario + Vampire capu2. However the ideas and storyline are mine.

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"Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly."  
― Franz Kafka

**Chapter 6: Confessions**

A little squabble really, it had been just a small argument. Mizore and he had merely had a brief exchange of barely spiteful words about her cooking. The cause had been so stupid that Naruto really didn't find how what it entailed justifiable.

"Back, back away!" Swinging the chair at them again, he succeeded in keeping them at bay for another second.

He hadn't believed that Mizore was really _this_ bad at cooking. Her tale of a tentacle purple blob had seen much too akin to fairy tale, and he had stupidly, he realised now, denied it.

"How is this even possible?!" Grabbing one of Mizore's hands he jumped onto the table. The yellow mushroom-like creatures had surrounded them from all sides.

Maybe he should have taken the dozen warnings from Tsurara a tad more seriously. But he had foolishly ignored Tsurara's constant insistence that Mizore's culinary skills and traditional yuki-onna dishes did NOT mix. True, traditional yuki-onna dishes had some of their youki infused in the ingredients, mainly the ice, but being so bad at cooking that the youki in said ingredients were able to come 'alive'… that really should not have been possible.

Leaving behind a trail of yellow ice as they moved, he did not want to know what would happen when they touched his skin. However with every second they grew closer, with every second his wish became less possible. Mizore was pressed tightly to him, their backs against each other. Both of them equally afraid of the grotesque creatures Mizore's cooking had created.

He had only one resort left, and he only prayed Tsurara would understand if more than _those_ somehow caught fire. With a mental command, his two hands burst into flames. With as much precision as he could, he shot flames as tiny as possible, or at least, as small as he would let himself against the yellow monstrosities.

On the third day he had been with the Shirayuki's, Tsurara had been giving Mizore a lesson on controlling the internal flow of youki, according to her because it would make it easier for Mizore to control ice when her powers developed. Excitedly, he had asked if he could join and possibly create ice of his own. While he had been disappointed when he was told he couldn't make ice, Tsurara had let him join her lesson. He was a fast learner as they had discovered. Having accidently set himself on fire after a mere hour of practice. True to his old self, that brief moment of panic brought his mask back on and he had started running around screaming. Though a blanket of snow quickly put an end to it.

"Die!" At least half of them had been incinerated by now, and nothing had been burnt…yet, that was good. Mizore had long already wrapped her hands around him, seeking his protection.

It struck him as odd though, the fact that Mizore couldn't use her powers at all. Tsurara had said that yuki-onna develop their powers when they were older sure, but thought that she would have at least a little power developed already. Even more confusing was that he had felt it too. He couldn't explain it well, but it was like he could feel their power. Whenever Tsurara used her powers, he would sense it a second before what she did happened. More than once he had felt similar patterns from Mizore, yet every time either nothing happened or it was because Tsurara was nearby and had caused it.

Turning around, he faced the remaining half of the yellow vermin. They had managed themselves onto the table already. No wonder it had felt like Mizore was trying to become one with him.

"Burn!" He hissed venomously as he targeted the last dozen. Their gurgled screams felt like music to his ears.

He had offered his observations to Tsurara, in the hopes of helping Mizore. Tsurara had dismissed it with a smile, saying that he might have be a natural youki sensor, but since he was untrained he could may have easily picked up false signals. He couldn't help the thought that Tsurara was hiding something though, something in the way she had said it simply poked him in the wrong way.

"Duck." He turned to face the familiar voice, but he was pushed flat onto the table by the girl behind him. As four deadly ice shards whistled past where he had been a split-second ago, he shivered.

Following their paths, he found four of the yellow abominations pierced and stuck to the table, less than a foot away from him. Forget getting stabbed, he would risk it anytime over those yellow things getting to him.

"Well?" Tsurara asked smugly. Naruto's shoulders dropped.

"Fine, I admit. Mizore's cooking is plain horrible…and scary." If only he had accepted that fifteen minutes ago.

Feeling a glare, he turned head slightly and faced Mizore with a definite face. Her pout failed to even cause a single twitch in his face. Ten seconds later her shoulders followed his example.

"So…about dinner…" Naruto said, causing the two women to stare at him incredulously, before they did as he did and looked around the kitchen for anything that had not been touched by Mizore's cooking.

Miraculously, amidst the yellow ice and goo that coated everything, Naruto's attempts at cooking had been untouched. Although, that left a worrying question.

_Why?_

.

.

.

Grinning, he placed the note back onto the table. Tsurara had gone to buy food from the village, since Mizore's cooking last night had left all the remaining food in the kitchen coated with yellow frost.

To his surprise last night, his cooking hadn't been too bad. He had followed their steps in making yuki-onna dishes, but instead of using ice youki he had mixed in his own fiery energy. It had left the two yuki-onna eating very slowly however, due to the heat in the rice. That had probably also been why the yellow monsters left his food alone and not the macabre possibility that his cooking could be horrible enough to scare even Mizore's cooking off.

Leaving the house he turned to face the sun. It always helped energise him. The occasional cold wind barely fazed him, the bright rays just strengthened him that much. Back in the leaf village, he would often bask in the sunlight, it was his only reprieve.

He smiled, now he knew why too.

Thinking back, the past few days had been the best days of his life. What he had always wanted, he had found. Family, friendship and respect. Tsurara was the mother he never had, though she didn't fit his ideas of a mother perfectly. But he didn't care, what would he know anyway? He had never had a mother before.

They were his loved ones. With them he felt like a _person_, a vulnerable normal person, a person that didn't have to think about hiding every thought and emotion, a person that didn't have to overthink and scrutinise everything from fear of elaborate and malicious acts. Even if his fake personality had never done so, he certainly had on the rare occasions he experienced brief freedoms.

Then Mizore, his smile unknowingly grey brighter. He had a friend, a _friend_. He was giddy again just at the thought of it. He had finally made a friend, a friend with whom he could play with, laugh with and smile with.

Then he heard a voice, a voice belonging to another person of his new life.** 'To your left behind the tree. Someone's there.' **Though he hadn't heard that voice in some time, not since he had claimed tiredness.

**'****Kurama?' **Naruto asked, reeling slightly from the rapid change of topics.

**'****I slept longer than I expected.' **Kurama said.

'It's nice to hear you awake again.' Feeling a mental acknowledgement from his guardian, he turned to face the tree where his observer was.

"Can I help you?" He heard a surprised squeak, then a woman came out from behind the trunk. She had brown hair and she wore a simple pink kimono that reached her ankles.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, he knew that Tsurara and Mizore were part of a village, but he hadn't actually been to it or met someone from it.

"Amaya. You?"

"Naruto." She stared at him in curiosity, like he was a rare oddity.

"Are you lost?" Amaya asked. Though she doubted it herself. The barrier around their village prevents humans from entering their village boundary. Tsurara's residence was within the boundary, despite her daughter.

Unaware of her thoughts he replied "No. Are you from the same village as Mizore?" Like a fuse had been lit, Amaya's face darkened.

"Don't mention that murderer's name!" Amaya hissed at him.

"What?"

"Sh..-" A ball of snow smacked her in the face, throwing her to the ground.

Shocked, he turned sharply in its direction to see Mizore glaring holes into the downed woman.

"Mizore?" She didn't reply, instead collecting more snow from the ground.

"Bitch!" Amaya shouted. Another snow ball met her face as Mizore grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled, making him stumble a few steps.

"Gah!" Amaya threw herself onto her feet before her ice claws formed and she shot a shard at the girl.

Ducking she avoided the shard, then she threw another snowball and another scream of outrage erupted. Mizore pulled Naruto again.

"Let's go." Mizore tugged his hand again but he resisted.

"Why?" Naruto asked, worried.

"Please." She begged, tugging again. Her scared eyes sent a spike of fear into Naruto.

Then another ice shard flew toward Mizore's face. Out of reflex she raised her left hand. A squelch. She screamed.

Releasing him she cradled her arm. Quickly pulling the shard out with her right, she shot the other woman a glare promising pain.

"Yes, that's it. Keep the murderer still." Amaya smirked, her ice claws point at Mizore.

Ignoring her taunt, Naruto crouched down in front of Mizore. Her eyes half closed from the pain. The shard had cut rather deeply, past her kimono sleeve digging into her tender flesh. Holding her protectively by her shoulders, he placed himself between the two yuki-onna.

"Why are you attacking and calling Mizore a murderer?" Naruto demanded as he glared at Amaya, neck turned.

"Ohh? You don't know?" Mizore's eyes shot open.

_No!_

"Know what?" She squeezed them shut again, the pain was unbearable.

_Please…_

"You didn't tell him did you?" Amaya sang sweetly. She didn't even feel the vengeful need to throw another shard at the girl anymore. No, she could do something far more painful.

The boy's curious look confirmed her answer. She grinned.

"That _thing_ there is a freak. She-"

"Shut up!" Out of the hold of a surprised Naruto, Mizore charged, ignoring the streaks of pain streaking from her arm.

It hadn't been enough. A week had not been enough. She wanted more time with him, she _needed_ more time with him.

Mizore threw herself at Amaya, sending them both crashing into the snowy ground. Grabbing her hair she ruthlessly pulled her head back before pressing a mouthful of snow into the woman's mouth.

Alarmed at the girl's outburst, she quickly overturned them and slammed Mizore into the ground. With an enraged calm, she grabbed Mizore's wrists and pinned them to the ground, freezing them to the ground. Placing the sharp edge of one of her claws under the girl's neck, she got the hysterical girl to freeze. Her smirk easily came back.

"Mizore is unstable. Prone to kill anyone around her with her powers." Amaya slowly said, prolonging the girl's look of pain.

"What? Don't lie! Mizore hasn't even developed her powers yet!" Naruto argued.

Amaya faced him with a Cheshire's grin. "She lied to you obviously. Why else do you think she lives here isolated from the village?"

Naruto paused before another defence left his lips. He didn't want to doubt Mizore, but he could sense truth in her words, even if just a little.

So why did she lie to him? Doubt rose in him, a hidden voice sneered, telling him of his stupidity, telling him how he had been so naïve and stupid as to believe that he could really trust someone.

His eyes moved from the woman's face to Mizore, to her trapped and wounded form.

She had lied to him…

Tears leaked and marred her face. Her eyes were unfocused and looking aimlessly toward the sky now.

But…she was crying…Mizore was crying…

She wasn't struggling anymore. Her body was still and lax. She had given up…

'It's just like me and Kurama…' Naruto thought solemnly.

"Mizore!" It had left his lips before he knew it. His legs had started to move, he hadn't commanded them so. Then she weakly turned her head to meet him.

The pain…it hurt…

His heart clenched. Then he realised why.

"I'm still your friend Mizore!"

Her eyes widened just a bit, or was it his imagination?

"I don't care that you lied to me, I don't care that you might snap and try to kill me one day."

Shock, surprise and disbelief played in her conflicting eyes.

"When it happens, if it happens…I'll be there to help." She heard him say.

Her eyes quavered. It wasn't his imagination.

"After all, I'm your friend right?" He whispered, hands holding her arms.

"Naruto…" She uttered weakly, but more wasn't needed. She already knew he knew. She felt naked before him, yet not unpleasantly so, as she felt his eyes see past hers.

Mizore croaked a sob, she had truly found a friend. The rest of the world seemed to matter so much less now…

But her ears heard it, the sound of crushing snow. Mizore's eye widened - Naruto hadn't noticed.

"Die!"

It didn't take more than a second, she didn't think. Kicking Naruto back, she sought it. The power she had hated her whole life, the power she wanted, _needed_ now. Her hair turned icy, her hands became coated. Clenching her hands, her bindings broke.

Slamming her hands to her left, she let her power rage. Unrestrained and unsuppressed, her unadulterated might showed. A wall of ice was formed, thicker than her, taller than her, and the clawed hand of their attacker was frozen mid-way in the wall.

A shriek of outrage and shock, and Amaya tore her hand free. Shooting her a hateful look that was betrayed by fear, she ran.

Eyes narrowed. She wouldn't get away, not without pain. The ice on her fingers crawled up her arm, covering her wound. Raising her hands as if possessed, she felt her power surge once more, flooding her arms, her very being.

"Argh…" With her blood pumping madly, she spun around. Narrowed eyes hawking in on the sound, she spotted a limp form. Her hands raised, like an executioner raising a sword. Then she paused, before her hands shook.

"Naruto!" She cried worriedly, previous murderous rage forgotten. She dashed toward her downed friend. _Downed by her… _

Her movements hesitated for a moment. Before she willed herself to ignore it.

"Sorry!" It burst from her lips. Kneeling by his side, she held her arms back as they reached out. Naruto was face down to the cold ground, but a part of her was glad. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see his face now…

"Are you okay?" She asked, guilt marring her voice. He didn't respond. Was he mad? Her throat became stuck.

"Na…Naruto?" Tentatively, she nudged his shoulder with her hand. A small groan came from him.

"Naruto?" Worry overcame her doubt and fear. Clasping firmly on his shoulder with urgency she flipped him over. What greeted her made her gasp in shock.

Ice covered his torso where she had kicked him, ice that was still spreading…ice that had come from her. Her hand withdrew, like it had been burnt.

"Naruto!" She shouted, hoping he would come to.

He didn't.

Panic laced her movements. She set her claws upon the ice, frantically clawing it, trying to scrap it off. Desperate yet conscious enough not to accidently cut him with her razor-sharp hands. The ear-piercing screech the ice made as she clawed an inopportune angle failed to faze her. She chipped off parts of the ice, but it was for naught as the ice continued to grow.

"Naruto!" She shook his shoulders roughly, hysterically.

"Wake up, use your fire." His eyelids flickered for a moment.

"Wake up! Please!" Something damp pricked her eyes, falling down her cheek and onto her shaking hands.

"Please…" She sobbed, hugging him tightly. Blubbering half-formed begs as her throat refused.

**"****Tsk, can't leave him alone for a minute." **An old voice chidingly sighed.

**'**Wha…what?' Mizore furiously blinked her eyes, but her vision wouldn't clear.

"**Remove yourself from him NOW." **Shocked, she instinctively listened, abiding by the growled order.

Flinging herself backwards with Naruto's body, she witnessed in horror as his body was roughly thrown to the ground.

_What was she doing? Had they been right all along? Had she always been a lunatic? Listening to imag-. _Her thoughts stopped.

A burst of yellow energy shrouded Naruto, lasting for less than a second. The snow around him became a puddle as quickly, stopping miraculously just before her. Though that barely came off to her as a concern.

She could only watch with pure relief as the ice on his body shrunk quickly, vanishing not a second later.

Then she met the ground. Her world suddenly jerked as her head suddenly snapped forward, her eyes blurring and her ears thrumming. Following after, the rest of her body crashed like a doll thrown too hard. Biting her lips stubbornly, she dug her claws harshly into the ground. Putting her weight forcefully onto her limbs she almost screamed, but now her lips bled. Her left hand trembled and gave way, the torn muscles failing to provide enough support.

Bordering extreme tenacity, she pushed herself up onto her legs. Then her eyes immediately darted to her friend.

His confused eyes met hers, but she saw the sincere understanding instead. At that moment, a certain comfort lulled her. She could only smile, standing weakly but gloriously in her transformed form. Then, her grasp on the world slipped.

.

.

.

Being met with a battle torn field right outside your home was not a scene anyone would like facing, especially not a mother who had a daughter and her friend in the home. Breaking from her slow pace she took a fast, somewhat frantic pace. Her critical eye moved from place to place, analysing, observing.

Ice shards, body-shaped depressions in the snow, a rather huge ice wall that she would have investigated any other time, and … blood.

Tsurara's heart jumped. Charging through the front door, she promptly threw her groceries to the side before shouting.

"Mizore!" Receiving no reply, she let her ice claws manifest as she readied herself for a possible battle. Especially as her heart raced as she saw the red droplets on the floor.

"Naruto!" She stilled after that, keeping silent as she strained to hear anything that so much as twitched.

"He..lp," it was muffled and broken, but she heard where it had come from. Her worry only grew, the path to her daughter's room was dotted with red stains. As soon as her senses located the two not behind the door, she shoved her daughter's room door open. Cautiously doing so however, in case any attacker had adept hiding skills.

She was met with a bone-chilling sight. Her daughter was paler than usual and her breathing was shallow, almost unnoticeable. Naruto was frantically pressing a towel onto Mizore's arm, a towel that was stained red and dripping blood.

"The bleeding won't stop." He sobbed out, she could see his fingers, white and shaking from exertion. Tears were sliding down his cheeks as he stared at her, at them, terrified.

Forcing herself to step forward, she fought the fear that had rooted her. Landing her palm over Naruto's, she swallowed.

"Let go okay?" He nodded shakily, and under her fingertips she felt his move stiffly. The second his hands left, she moved. Deftly, she slid the towel to the side and with her powers formed an ice coat around her daughter's arm.

She could see the wound now, it made her gut churn. More worryingly was how she couldn't feel her daughter's body healing properly. Yuki-onna who had developed their powers normally healed better when their wounds were coated in ice.

"What happened?" There were only a few possible reasons why her daughter wasn't healing normally with ice.

"We…we were attacked by a…another yuki-onna, A…Amaya." He said with his voice shaky.

Her eyes narrowed at the name, she'd have to pay her her dues one day… and it explained what was happening.

"Wi…will she be alright?" Naruto asked softly. Her mind paused. She wasn't sure either. A superficial wound wouldn't have mattered, but her daughter's cut was deep, severing muscles.

"She… She will be fine, but…" She pulled Naruto into a hug, to sooth his worry and to calm herself.

"That _other_ yuki-onna left her energy in Mizore's hand, it's preventing her from healing normally." She wasn't sure if it would be safe if she tried purging the foreign energy out of her daughter's arm with hers. Their energy was similar, there would be no clear victor between her energy and Amaya's taint, her daughter's arm would likely turn into a warzone of energies.

She was pushed back.

'_What?'_

She stared confused at Naruto.

_'__What is he…?'_

Determination suddenly burned in Naruto's eyes.

"Please…maintain the ice." Naruto looked at her, steady, unwavering, begging.

Nodding, albeit tentatively, she placed a hand on her daughter's, coaxing her icy energy into the ice. Then Naruto placed his on the ice. She looked up confused.

Her eyes widened in alarm when she felt her energy become strained. He was forcing his energy into the ice, a thin tendril of his fiery power snaking its way slowly but surely. Its heat would have long melted the ice had her powers not kept it frozen.

She looked up at him, and her worry only grew. Naruto's eyes weren't his. They were faintly glazed, blank and unfocused – as though he were possessed.

Her senses picked up a second source. She stared in shock. It wasn't Naruto's. It was older, more ancient. It coated Naruto's tendril of power, nudging it, guiding it. It shaped Naruto's energy and spread it, forming it into and around Mizore's wound.

Her eyes could only widen further in disbelief as Mizore's wound started to literally stitch itself shut, far faster than a yuki-onna's normal healing.

It was done within a minute. The tendril left the ice and only a red line was left where her daughter's wound had been.

"Naruto?" Her tone questioning but soft, she pensively met his eyes.

Worry bubbled. Naruto's eyes were filled with fear, the fear she had barely seen when they had first met. This time however, it wasn't hidden. It was too obvious, too exposed and frighteningly vulnerable before her eyes.

Then his lips parted slightly, and in a volume softer than even her daughter's usual whispers, he confessed. "I…have a secret…"

.

.

.

She felt her breathing first. Slowly coming to, Mizore creaked open her eyelids. She met the familiar ceiling of her bedroom. The soft ambient glow from her window bathed everything in soft light. Only a few rays made it past the partially pulled curtains.

Then her mind paused, when had she gone to sleep?

Her eyes snapped wide open, but as she tried to sit up, she realised there was extra weight on her. Eyes darting downwards, she saw a familiar mop of blonde hair. In the ambient light, it carried a delicate glow. Though, what she thought was her hand being slow in waking made sense now.

Still, despite her first reaction to enjoy her friend's presence, her rational mind abruptly butted in with an all too important question.

'What happened?' She raised an eyebrow just a tiny bit.

A strand of her hair fell onto her face. Reflexively she brought up her left hand to swipe it to the side, but an odd itchiness made her pause. Tentatively lifting it above her she saw bandages wrapped neatly around her arm.

Then she remembered.

Her breathing turned heavy. Why didn't her arm hurt? Deep wounds did not merely leave _itches_. However that wasn't her main concern. Craning her neck slowly, almost tentatively so, she refocused her eyes on her friend's face. _He hadn't lied._

It wasn't a conscious decision, she gently and tenderly pulled him up beside her. Wrapping her arms around him, she stared with wide eyes, unmoving and unbreathing, almost afraid it would all disappear if she disturbed what seemed like dream. Then the belief slowly sunk in. Leaning into him slowly, she let her head rest in his chest. Feeling his warmth for a moment, she inhaled a deep breath and his scent filled her. Then with a shaky quaver the air left, rushing and running. It started. Her tears started forming, as her throat began to feel tight. Then a sob - a soft muffled cry. Her tears began flowing as she buried herself in his presence, letting her emotions pour as small trembles wrecked her body. _Her friend._

"Naruto…" she croaked weakly, hugging herself to him again.

For only a minute, a faint radiance on her wrist had shone.

.

.

.

It never did go away. The pain and heartache that came from watching those he cared for suffer or die. Sure it dulled over his long existence, with every successive person it becoming more tolerable, but it _never_ went away.

Kurama watched concernedly as Naruto practically dug a circle in his mind with his walking, wearing a face that shouldn't have belonged to him. He had been watching since he had felt the first spike of panic in the boy's mind during the fight.

Then all the way through his confession to his friend's mother to his watch over said yuki-onna friend. Unfortunately, he had had to do it, drawing Naruto into his mental world when it became clear that the blonde would refuse sleep entirely for his friend.

He was worried for Naruto, and Naruto was worried for his yuki-onna friend.

He could identify them easily, worry, frustration, anger – for his friend, the situation and his own inability to help.

And like how he had been helped, he would help Naruto.

"It won't help, you know." He said.

His voice broke the frantic blonde out of his trance, as if for the first time realising where he was, he looked around in confusion before meeting him.

Then his face morphed into one of horror. What was he doing here?

Closing his eyes tiredly for a moment, he continued. "Walking around like that, staring off blankly into nowhere, scolding yourself…"

Naruto's eyes widened, shock and anger played in his eyes.

"Worrying over your friend to the point that you'd forgo needed rest and reason. What would you accomplish?" Kurama asked.

"What?!" Naruto whispered, he wasn't sure, the myriad of emotions flooding him… he couldn't think.

"You'd simply become weaker, less able."

"But Mizore is-"

"Think. You don't like it that she was hurt, but what could you have done?" Kurama laced accusation in his words.

Naruto took a sudden step back, unsure before his answer came. "I…I could have protected her."

"Could you? Up against an opponent far more experienced than you, not to mention your elemental weakness."

"Then…" Naruto whispered, his voice weak as his eyes dropped too quickly. "What do I do?"

"What do _you_ want to do?" Kurama asked, turning to face him with a penetrating glare.

Naruto returned with a lost look of confusion and frustration.

"As I said, think_, _Uzumaki, _think._" The change of names brought remembrance, Kurama could see it in his demeanour, his very aura.

Kurama smiled.

"Now, what do you want to do?"

The look Naruto gave him, it brought back a comfortable familiarity he had missed so dearly. An unyielding burning determination that had been the fuel for Uzumaki power, intellect and skill, the reason for their successes.

He had truly missed it, and now, he could cherish and nurture it. The young hatchling before him was his hope, his reassurance that the Uzumaki was not lost.

For his honour, loyalty and love, as the strongest of the nine guardians and as a person who was simply hoping once more, he would serve his charge to the best of his ability. That, was a personal promise he made to himself, a promise made by an old and tired being who had found himself believing once more.

Now, his first course of action once their chat was finished, would be to talk with a certain woman.

.

.

.

She took in the world with as stoic a face as she could manage. Though her legs did not shake, and her movements were still fluid, it was simply impossible for her to truly be calm.

Sure she had accepted that her daughter's friend hosted an ancient power, and sure she had followed when told that the being of said power was his guardian. After all, it would explain his sorrow if how her daughter was treated in her own village was any example of how those who are 'special' are treated.

So with an open-mind she had listened to his confession, especially with what she had felt as evidence for what he could have said. When he had finished she had given him a warm, reassuring hug, and she had expected some tears. She wasn't off.

After that she had kissed her daughter good night and wished Naruto the same before setting herself down on her bed. She wasn't sure what she was doing and for how long she had sat unmoving on her bed, blankly pensive and reflective, she did not know.

But despite her wary train of thoughts on what she had discovered in one night and all her considerations and thoughts, she had truly not expected what had happened next.

In the time she had had her eyes closed to blink, her world had changed. Instead of sitting on her bed, lost in thought, she found herself in a warm, humid and likely tropical forest.

To top it off, had been the regal looking man sitting on a low-lying tree branch making the whole thing a rather odd sight.

So… she blinked.

She was still in the forest.

"This isn't a dream, I assure you." The man spoke.

_Ahh…_

"I see… May I ask then, who are you?" Tsurara said.

A faint smirk graced his lips, she almost played it off as a trick of the light. "I've already been introduced Shirayuki-san, by my charge, your daughter's friend." He spoke.

She could only stare blankly, although nodding slowly as she drew links.

"Kurama-san then? Naruto-kun's guardian?" He answered with a short grin.

"It is nice to finally meet you." Tsurara said.

"The same may be said for you." Kurama replied.

"Thank you for healing my daughter's arm." Tsurara bowed respectfully.

She heard a scoff, her eyes immediately shot back, an angry glare forming, but his response made her pause.

"Don't thank me, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you as I can't smoothen my youki flow while I'm in Naruto. Your ice provided enough resistance. So you should thank yourself." He explained, not meeting her gaze, instead his interest seemed to focus on the sky.

"But still, you didn't even have to do that much, so I am still grateful." He seemed to mull the idea for a while as he stared thoughtfully at her, before he replied with a polite nod.

Satisfied, Tsurara spared her surroundings another glance.

"So, where am I?" Tsurara asked.

"We are, for lack of a better word, in Naruto's mind, or at least a small portion of it that I can control." Kurama said.

"May I assume then, that you brought me here?" She asked, guardedly accusing.

"And you would be right." Kurama replied.

"Would you like some tea?" He asked, almost immediately after giving her no time to continue her questions as he landed gracefully on his feet.

"That… would be fine." Tsurara said, as she responded automatically. It was second-nature, to react aptly and correctly, trained into her from years of practice as a village council member. Tea, was a formal event in which matters of relative importance were sometimes discussed. Now, she could only hope her experience was enough.

"Come then." With but a single acknowledging nod, he walked and she followed.

Her eyes trailed the sights slowly, observingly. Following quietly, her footsteps were in sync with his but unlike his, hers never made a crunch whenever her feet landed. Although, it was a conscious effort.

Her body was nonetheless still tense, most people would too, when in the presence of a being capable of flattening a mountain in seconds with but a thought, even if just trapped for the moment, not that she knew. The fact that said being had pretty much forced her conscious mind to appear in a foreign world only made her worry worse- Her thoughts wouldn't be safe either.

"You don't have to be so stressed you know." The being her anxious thoughts had revolved around suddenly said, making her next step cause an audible smack as she was startled.

"The only reason I could even bring you here was because you were open and to some degree connected to Naruto." He continued without a pause, slowing just slightly to imply to her to catch up.

"Naruto?" Tsurara said.

"In just about a week, it already feels like he's a part of your family doesn't it?" Kurama phrased it as one, but his tone leaned toward that of a statement.

Tsurara had parted her mouth to reply when she paused, his words did bear truth she realised.

"Especially so with your daughter, correct?" Kurama stated unfeelingly, feet having stopped a while ago.

Unease spread, she never liked being led too blindly in a conversation. She couldn't tell what his end goal was at all, and the guided conclusions he was bringing her to face were only worsening her imaginations.

She realised then…

"What…what do you want?" She said, softly, vulnerable. It just really wouldn't make sense for her to be able to outwit a being with tens of centuries of experience, when she had only a few decades of experience in the fixed setting of her village council only to boot. Especially when she was even on his turf.

Her apprehensive eyes only watched as his face stayed blank of emotions, before he suddenly became a person.

"You can stop those dreadful thoughts too by the way." He said, teasingly.

She could only return a look of utter confusion.

"Besides, we have a common interest don't we?" Kurama asked, rhetorically.

Tsurara raised an eyebrow then, before gradually dropping it as she understood the tacit suggestion.

"I guess we do. For _them_…" She replied.

He tensed without warning. She froze her own movement as her breathing became stressed..

Then, he turned and smiled.

In an instant, the world around her blurred, before a new setting appeared.

Now they stood in a small clearing. A modest lay was spread before her and a setting sun lied before her on the horizon giving glow to the simple furniture.

A beautiful oak coffee table with two similar chairs that had intricate backrests. Tall flowing grass surrounded them, made golden by the rays shone upon them from the sun. They took her breath away.

On the table were two small servings of strawberry and by their sides were matching forks. In the centre, laid their original topic – a fine tea set.

"Now then, what kind of tea would you like?"

~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~_}{_~


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